


Perfect Match

by parkjhyng



Series: old ass aff fics (cringe fest) [1]
Category: Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Comedy, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 10:10:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 27,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13634166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkjhyng/pseuds/parkjhyng
Summary: Hyukjae is the school's matchmaker. What happens when he finally meets his perfect match? Will everything be sunshine and rainbows, or will there be trouble in paradise?





	1. Chapter 1

Meet Hyukjae.

He's short, blond, smart, crazy hot and has the brightest most gummiest smile you'll ever see.

Oh, and he's the school's matchmaker.

Which means that he goes around and hands out forms for everyone to fill out in hopes of finding their 'perfect match', and he's pretty sure he does a damn fine job if he does say so himself. Just ask the many new couples, Baekyeol, Hunhan, Kyumin and so many more!

He's even hooked up the gym teacher with their new english teacher.

But seriously. He's pretty sure he's a god or something. He's even doing this all for free. Who the hell runs around the entire school making couples for free?

Apparently Hyukjae does. It's really tiring most of the time, but it's worth it when he sees everyone's smiling faces.

Now here's a question: does the school's matchmaker have a perfect match?

Well duh. Everyone does. But has he found him?

Again, yes, but does his perfect match know and are they in a relationship?

No. Because Lee Hyukjae's perfect match just happens to be Lee Donghae, who is currently dating his boyfriend for 3 years, Choi Siwon.

Oh no. What will happen to poor, poor Hyukjae?

* * *

A/N: This is just a short intro to what the story's about. I might update soon or in a billion years. We'll see.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Hyukjae walked into the school with his hands in his pockets and his blond hair ruffled messily. A couple girls giggled in his direction when he passed them in the halls and he just sent them a bright smile before hiking his bag higher up his back.

When he reached his class, only a few of his classmates were in the room, so he pulled out some of the newer forms that were handed to him and slid into his seat.

One sheet in particular caught his eye.

_Lee Donghae, 15, Junior_

_Looking for someone who likes dancing and wouldn't be afraid to go to the aquarium every once in a while. Likes sweets and all fruits but especially strawberries. Is a bit wary of super religious guys, and needs someone who will make time for me. Need to be cute but can also be super sexy if needed. Or just hot. Not super picky about that._

_Please be more dominant than me that's really all that I actually ask._

_Preferably not shorter than me but it's alright. Also please have an actual sense of humour._

_Thanks^^_

Who the hell is afraid to go to the aquarium? And wary of super religious guys? Like Siwon?

Hold up.

_Isn't Donghae dating Siwon?_

Hyukjae sifted through a few of the pages in his bag before he found Siwon's form.

Donghae and Siwon didn't have a  _single_ thing in common.

_Choi Siwon, 16, Junior_

_Filling this out because it was randomly given to me, but to be honest I'm already dating my perfect match but whatever._

_Umm, not really into dancing, prefer singing better, but going to church is probably the best thing someone could do in my opinion. Don't really like sea creatures 'cause they're really creepy and just stare at you. And a shark can kill you! Like excuse me for valuing my own life. I'm too perfect to be killed by a shark. I mean, look at me. Utter perfection._

_I like being accompanied to the mall so that we can buy me new clothes and stuff like that._

_Oh, they need to enjoy PDA. Definitely._

_That's why I'm already perfectly happy with Donghae._

_I guess thanks._

But Donghae and  _Hyukjae_ , now that was a completely different story. Mostly all of their interests matched, and if Hyukjae didn't know better, he'd say they were a 'perfect match'.

He was starting to hate that term.

Either way, Donghae was in a few of his classes, and he couldn't deny that the boy was good looking. He also had a _really nice ass._ He'd probably tap that. But sadly, he was taken.

Looks like Hyukjae will be forever alone.

He sighed but put away the forms. He really liked seeing everyone being happy and smiling, but it really drained his energy comparing and matching people. 

He at least hoped that the relationships lasted after high school ended.

The bell rang and the last of the students filtered into the room, including Donghae and his boyfriend Siwon. They sat two rows in front of Hyukjae and immediately Siwon started whispering into Donghae's ear, but the younger boy just pushed him away and looked to the front of the room.

 _Ooh,_  Hyukjae thought while raising an eyebrow. _Looks like someone's having relationship problems._

* * *

After his next few classes (sadly all without Donghae), it was time for lunch. Hyukjae almost ran down the halls and sat down at his tiny (who was he kidding it was huge) booth in the school lobby. People who wanted to know who their perfect match was would have to go there to find out.

A few girls came and one or two teachers, nothing really out of the ordinary.

Then Donghae came.

"Hey Hyukjae! How's business going so far?" 

Hyukjae chuckled at how Donghae called it a business. Everyone knew very well that he was doing it for free.

"Hi Donghae. It's going pretty well. How's life with the boyfriend?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Donghae teasingly.

"Ugh, please don't. He's being really clingy and flirty lately, I don't like it." Donghae pouted, making Hyukjae coo at the sight (internally, of course).

"Well, no relationship is perfect. Except for the ones that I put together, of course."

 Donghae laughed brightly before his face became a bit more serious.

"That's actually kinda why I'm here... Hyukjae, you got my form, right? I wanted to know...Umm, who might be my perfect match?" Donghae shifted from one foot to the other, his gaze never leaving the floor while he softly bit his lower lip.

Hyukjae looked at the now shy boy. His brown hair covered most of his facial features as he looked down. He, as Hyukjae, was also rather short, but from what Hyukjae could see from the uniform, he was well built.

_Duh. He wrote that he likes dancing._

"Hyukjae?"

Hyukjae looked up, only to find the brunet staring at him with wide, bright eyes the colour of the sweetest milk chocolate.

_Damn... I'd definitely tap that. How can he look so cute and innocent? Is he secretly five? Would I be arrested for pedophilia?_

"Helllo? Hyukjae?"

"Oh um what."

Donghae stared at him incredulously before a smile crept onto his face.

"Anyways, so you have a perfect match for me I assume? Or am I a bit early? I kinda handed in my form yesterday so..."

Hyukjae thought for a minute before he smirked.

"Donghae, would you like a fake answer or the real answer?"

The shorter boy furrowed his eyebrows at Hyukjae before he hesitantly opened his mouth.

"T-the fake answer?"

The blond nodded his head approvingly while a small smile was on his face.

"Good choice. Your perfect match is Choi Siwon. I congratulate you for finding your perfect match before you ever even came to me. You guys will  _surely_ have a long lasting relationship filled with understanding and love. Now go and... I guess keep doing what you're doing!" Hyukjae have him a totally fake smile and turned his head before he burst out laughing.

The brunet's face had gone slack with emotion while he listened to Hyukjae. Yeah, he knew he and Siwon weren't working, that's why he came here.

"Seriously."

Hyukjae let out a snort before he just lost it. Donghae just sighed before slumping into the seat across from him, and slowly he joined Hyukjae in his laughter.

It was just so infectious.

"No but honestly Hyukjae, do you have a perfect match for me? Siwon and I really aren't working and I'm thinking of breaking it off with him soon." He started playing with his hands before releasing a heavy sigh.

Hyukjae examined him thoroughly. Should he tell him? I mean, that's what he wants, right?

"Don't get all awkward with me when I tell you."

Donghae tilted his head and looked at him with a confused (BUT STILL SO FUCKING CUTE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LEE DONGHAE) face.

"Why would I get awkward?"

Hyukjae puffed out his cheeks before running a hand through his hair. 

"It's me." Donghae's face brightened up at that but he quickly composed himself before Hyukjae looked at him again.

"Okay. Thanks Hyukjae. See you later in class."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Hyuk, what's up?"

Hyukjae looked up to see his best friend, Heechul walking towards him. His long, black hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and he sported large sunglasses. His jacket was unbuttoned and his hands were in his pockets as he gave Hyukjae a friendly smirk. 

Hyukjae gave him a large gummy smile before leaning back in his chair and propping his feet up on the table.

"Hey Chul. Nothing much. Just trying to figure out why one of the longest lasting relationships in our school isn't working out. Well, not really because it's really obvious, but yeah. Thinking about it."

"Wow, Lee Hyukjae actually thinking about something? Never thought I'd live to see that day!" Heechul took off his sunglasses and gave his friend a pointed look. "But what's this about the long lasting couple or whatever? Who you talking about? You and your pillow?"

Hyukjae snarled at him and sat properly in his chair. 

" _No,_ Heechul, I was not talking about me and my pillow, that ship is still sailing perfectly smoothly. I was talking about the 'everybody wants our perfect relationship' couple. The fish and the religious guy."

"Oh, Donghae and Siwon? No yeah, I bet they'll break up by next week. Why are you suddenly thinking about that?" The taller plopped down in the chair that had earlier occupied a certain short brunet and leaned towards Hyukjae.

Hyukjae dragged his hand over his face before breathing out a sigh and letting his back hit the chair again.

"Donghae came up to me earlier and asked me who his perfect match was. I gave him a fake answer and said Siwon but then he wanted the real answer. You wanna know who his perfect match is?" Hyukjae glanced at his friend and just groaned when he raised a perfect eyebrow.

"It's me. God damnit. Why did my perfect match have to be taken? I don't have a serious relationship for a few years and suddenly I'm never allowed to have one ever again? Why is my soul mate someone I can't have? My pillow can't be the only important figure in my life for the rest of my life! I don't want to have to propose to a  _pillow,_ for goodness sakes, I don't want to come home to our house and greet it like 'hey pillow, how's it going? I'm home from work! Guess what, I got a promotion! We can renovate the baby's room now and get you that necklace you've been wanting. Oh wait, you're a pillow! We can't get married or have kids and you can't wear a necklace and-"

Heechul just massaged his temples as he let Hyukjae keep ranting. He really got caught up with them sometimes.

"-not to mention how I would have to wash it! And what would I sleep on at night? It's my favourite pillow, I'm not just gonna go buy another one because I'm marrying my other one!"

"Hyukjae."

"Am I supposed to go to work and take care of the kids by myself? And the taxes! Is my pillow earning me any money?"

"Hyukjae. Stop it."

"What about family vacations? Where is my pillow's favourite-"

"Yah, Lee Hyukjae, no one said you had to marry your pillow. And haven't you ever thought that you could totally date someone  _other_ than Donghae? It's not like you have to be together just because your stupid forms said so. Go find someone like-"

"By the way, your perfect match is that Chinese transfer student, Hangeng."

Heechul shot out of his chair and wrapped Hyukjae in a large hug. "Your forms are the best! I  _knew_ we were destined to be together! He's so hot and so am I, we're perfect for each other!"

Hyukjae just gave him an uncertain smile and peeled Heechul's arms off from around his neck.

"Anyways, why are you reacting so badly? It's not like you actually like him, right?"

The blond just glared at Heechul before burying his head in his hands. "It's not like I completely hate him either..." He mumbled out.

"Wow, didn't know that the undateable Lee Hyukjae had his heart captured by the school's heartthrob. Why don't you just ask him out after he breaks up with Siwon? You'd have a pretty good chance, unless the kid's not into monkeys."

Hyukjae just groaned again and slid down his chair. He wanted the floor to swallow him whole so that he didn't have to deal with anything or think about his lonely future (unless you count his pillow as a relationship).

"Whatever kid. Do whatever you think is right. I've got a hot China man I need to seduce. Actually, you try that too. Seduce the fuck outta that fish. Then it'd be the weirdest couple in the school, the fish out of water and the escaped monkey."

Heechul snorted at his own words before he bid Hyukjae goodbye and strolled down the hallway.

* * *

 Donghae practically skipped down the halls to find Sungmin. When he did, he jumped onto his back, earning himself a glare from the tall freshman Sungmin had for a boyfriend.

"Minnie! Guess who my perfect match is! Guess guess guess!"

Sungmin squirmed himself out of Donghae's grip and stared at the obviously ecstatic boy.

"Judging by your very happy appearance, I'd say... Lee Hyukjae?"

Donghae let out a very unmanly squeal before he tackled both Sungmin and Kyuhyun in a bear hug. "I'm so happy!" ( _Really_ now) "He's so perfect and I've had a crush on him for  _forever,_ and now he's my perfect match and  _ahhhhh_ ~" 

Sungmin just smiled at Donghae. The boy really had been admiring the elder (even if at first it was purely for the other's dancing skills) for a very long time. They went to the same middle school, and though he was infatuated with Hyukjae, Donghae was just too nice to refuse Siwon. The fear of being rejected by Hyukjae was why he never broke up with Siwon, but also not wanting to hurt the poor boy kept their relationship strong through the years. Now that Donghae knew that Hyukjae was his perfect match, he didn't see any reason not to take a chance. He knew how much Hyukjae believed in the perfect match thing.

 "So Hae, when are you going to ask him out?"

Donghae stopped moving, squealing, fan _boy_ ing, everything. It seemed that the thought of asking the other boy out hadn't occurred to him yet at that point-

"The hell are you talking about? _He_ has to ask  _me._ I'm not doing anything."

...Or maybe it had.

Sungmin and Kyuhyun both put on a confused look as they stared at the offended brunet in front of them. 

"Why does he have to ask you? You could ask him and he'd still probably say yes because you're you. And because he believes in that whole soul mate thing but whatever. Just ask him. Ooh, but first break up with Siwon."

"Nooo Minnie, that's not how it works! Hyukjae has to be the one who asks me because Hyukjae has to be the more dominant one! I'm supposed to be the cute submissive one! He has to!"

Sungmin just thought of how the fish would never go out on a date with Hyukjae ever, and he was okay with it.

"Alright Fishy. Whatever you say." He gave Donghae a supportive pat on the shoulder and quickly walked away with Kyuhyun.


	4. Chapter 4

Donghae was _seriously_ getting pissed off.

It'd been about two weeks since the whole 'you're my perfect match' business with Hyukjae, and the latter _still_ hadn't asked him out yet! Like, what was he doing wrong? Should he approach it a different way?

The fact that Siwon was being super extra clingy didn't help either. Whenever Donghae tried to talk to the blond, Siwon would suddenly appear and give him a back hug or kiss him and them drag him away.

Couldn't his boyfriend back off for like  _two seconds_ so that he could sort some things out with his crush?

So inconsiderate.

* * *

Hyukjae didn't know what to do. Yeah, okay, maybe he was crushing on Donghae, maybe it had something to do with that thing that happened in middle school, maybe nobody else knows or remembers about it, maybe Donghae's horse for a boyfriend scares him a little, maybe Heechul's kinda being a douche because he found out about the crush, maybe-

Maybe Hyukjae has no idea where he was going with that.

Everything about Donghae is just confusing him. It's like the brunet is trying to talk to him for some reason, or maybe it's just his imagination. Sometimes he feels like Donghae's trying to seduce him, but  _why_. And then he gets random glares from Siwon. There's never a specific moment, but he can just feel the piercing gaze on the back of his head like two burning coals and its so _goddamn uncomfortable._

Like one time, Hyukjae finally decided to eat lunch in the cafeteria instead of sitting at his booth, in the lobby, at the front of the school.

By himself.

When suddenly, Donghae just pops on over and sits right beside him while spewing out about 80 words a minute, and Heechul is just staring at him like he's crazy.

(He probably is.)

Then, do you know what Donghae suggests?

\---

_"Hey Hyukjae! We should play the shoulder game!"_

_"The shoulder game?"_

_"Yeah, the shoulder game! It's really simple, but first I have to count how many shoulders we have."_

_"How man- Donghae there's only fou-"_

_"One..." Donghae placed his left hand on his right shoulder, furthest from Hyukjae._

_"Wow Donghae. Wow."_

_"Shut up. Two..." Next, his left shoulder._

_"I can really hear the gears turning in your head. You're working real hard."_

_"Three..." Hyukjae's right shoulder, the one closest to the brunet._

_"Oh the struggle."_

_"And four!" Then Donghae firmly clasped his hand on Hyukjae's left shoulder and kept it there._

_And it was still there._

_He didn't move it._

_"Uhh, Donghae, good job counting our shoulders, but weren't we gonna play the shoulder game or wha-"_

_"This_ is _the shoulder game."_

_"...Oh."_

\---

And then Heechul had to run out of the cafeteria because he couldn't stop laughing. Like gee thanks man, you're being such a great help right now.

But that didn't seem to faze Donghae. No. Of course it didn't. Donghae just turned his head and decided to talk to Jongwoon, because, you know, it's not like they'd never had a conversation before.

Of course they had.

It was just non-existent. Because it never happened. Donghae just wasn't friends with any of Hyukjae's friends. Even in middle school, when it was break, the two were split into two different friend circles.

But Donghae's arm was still for some reason wrapped around Hyukjae's shoulders.

And then Hyukjae feels it.

The hot, burning sensation on the back of his head. Then, when he turned his head, there it was.

Choi Siwon was practically staring daggers at him. If looks could kill, the blond would be dead ten times over now.

So Hyukjae did the only thing that could come to mind at the moment.

He threw Donghae's arm off of him and followed Heechul all the way down to the bathroom. Then, he proceeded to lock himself in one of the stalls and tried to convince himself that Siwon wasn't going to kill him any time soon.

He hoped.

He really wasn't ready to die. Especially not in high school. And he _just_ found out that his perfect match was in a relationship which brings us back to the original point,

Hyukjae doesn't know anymore.

He just wants to go home and sleep.

* * *

After that awkward (apparently only for Hyukjae) lunch, Siwon decided to go confront Donghae. It was getting to be too much for him to be able to handle.

He saw Donghae leaving the cafeteria and he pulled him to the side and into the closest empty classroom.

"Donghae... Are you doing this on purpose?"

Donghae just furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head at Siwon. "Doing what on purpose? You're the one who dragged me into here. I need to go find Hyukkie to make sure that he's okay. He looked about to throw up in there."

And so Siwon just groaned in frustration and pulled at his hair.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about! Who's the one you're in a relationship with? Me or Hyukjae? Because right now it  _really_ seems like the answer's Hyukjae."

Donghae scoffed in annoyance and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What if I want to be in a relationship with Hyukjae, huh? You've been really super extra clingy these past few days, and I should know, but everything you're doing for this relationship, it's not that I'm saying it's not enough, it's just not for me. I don't like the same things as you, and we're really only still together for the sake of popularity."

"Is that how you feel? I thought that we were working out amazingly. I thought that everything was okay but then Hyukjae came into the picture- I- Donghae I'm sorry but I don't think I can change anything about myself just to please you. I'll admit, I did think this was going to last. I thought we had a stable thing going on, but I, wow. I was really wrong, wasn't I?"

Then Siwon just chuckled bitterly to himself before looking up into Donghae's eyes, giving him an encouraging smile and ruffling his hair.

"Thanks for being there while it lasted. I hope we can still be friends."

And then Siwon walked out of the room, leaving a slightly confused Donghae who wondered if that was really the right thing to do.

* * *

Hell yeah it was the right thing to do.

News of Siwon and Donghae's break up spread like wildfire throughout the entire school, and pretty soon, both were getting endless amounts of chocolates, flowers and confessions, unfortunately none of which bore any results.

Hyukjae knew the news too, but that didn't mean he was doing anything about it.

Nope.

Not anytime soon.

(Okay, maybe he's asking Donghae out later today but he's just really nervous so don't judge him if he stutters okay? Okay.)

God he was a mess.


	5. Chapter 5

Do you know that feeling when everything just goes absolutely wrong, as wrong as it can get, and the one person that you didn't want to be there at that moment was watching you and everything that happened?

Hyukjae does.

* * *

Right before their lunch break started, Hyukjae spent the rest of math class planning out how he would confess to Donghae.

(Is confess the right word? He's kinda just gonna ask him out.)

The 'confession' had been pushed a few days because he couldn't even see Donghae through the sea of people and presents that were surrounding him. Everytime he made out that tuft of brown hair, it was immediately smothered by more people than he was sure went to the school.

Anyways, the blond made a mental note to go out and buy a bouquet of roses and some Nemo shaped chocolates. Because he's a hopeless romantic and Donghae loves Nemo.

Not that a lot of people know that.

After he buys the necessities, he's going to corner Donghae into an empty classroom, of course with the help of Heechul, and on the board there'll be the words 'Will You Go Out With Me, Lee Donghae?' He'll give the brunet the flowers and chocolates and they'll live happily ever after.

He hoped.

As soon as the bell rang, Hyukjae was out the door. He texted Heechul the details, then hopped into his car and drove towards the closest Beanermunky. Unfortunately, his name is not Jennifer, so no free ice cream for him today. 

After purchasing the colourful fish chocolates, he drove to a florist and bought a hell of a lot of roses. His car was gonna smell like them for a really long time, but he was pretty sure that in the end, it would all be worth it. 

To make sure that his efforts didn't go to waste, Hyukjae sped back to school, avoiding the cops three times and having 20 minutes to get the classroom ready.

He opened the door to the music room and praised Heechul and Jongwoon for their excellent work. There were rose petals everywhere and candles littered the floor. The curtains were drawn and the lights were off, and there was a tiny box that Hyukjae was to stand on to make him stand out from everything else.

He waltzed over to the board so that he could start writing his message, when he suddenly heard the door click open.

Surprised and a tiny bit embarrassed about being caught in the middle of his preparations, Hyukjae spun around and stared at the figure in the doorway, shock painted on his face.

He took a few cautious steps towards the person and they took pride in their strides as they advanced as well. Soon, they were face to face (well, Hyukjae  _was_ slightly looking down) and Hyukjae whispered out his words.

"What are you doing here?"

In front of him was none other than Lee Jieun. His ex-girlfriend from middle school. She had the guts to come up to him after dumping him for some tall, buff jock, and leaving him heartbroken for about a week. Only a week though, because then something magical happened.

She at least had the sense to look ashamed, so when she opened her mouth to explain herself, Hyukjae let her. 

"Look, Eunhyuk-"

"Nope. I go by Hyukjae now, so call me that and keep going."

Jieun looked startled for a few seconds before she cleared her throat, patted down her skirt and stood up straight. Then, she continued.

"Look, Hyukjae. When I broke up with you in middle school, I thought it was the best choice I ever made. Kris took me everywhere, and he bought me whatever I wanted. I never had to worry that he didn't have enough money, or that he was getting tired of buying me every little thing. But pretty soon, after looking past all the presents and the jewelry, the clothes and the makeup, the purses and the shoes-"

"Jieun."

"Right. After looking past all of that, I realized that nothing else about our relationship was working. Yeah sure, he's a tall rich kid who plays basketball, and that looks great for me, but we didn't have a connection, not like you and me. When we went on dates, we just went on our phones and didn't talk. When we hung out together we'd just ignore each other and sleep. Nothing we ever did with each other was _with_ the other person. Soon, I started comparing him to you, and I realized that I miss you. I missed the little things we did with each other, and how we would go on dates to places that we both loved and we would talk about them for days afterwards before our next date. It was everything that I wanted, and now I would give anything to have it back. So Hyukjae, my sweet, sweet, Hyuk- no. My sweet Eunhyuk. Will you take me back, this girl who was stupid enough to even let you go in the first place? Because I wouldn't hesitate to take you back in a heartbeat. We can go on all those dates that we talked about. The one to the aquarium, the one picnic in the park, the trip to Times Square during New Years, all of them. Kris was a mistake, one that I would go back and erase if I ever could, but I can't. So, can we give it another shot?"

Hyukjae took everything in. Everything that happened between him and Jieun was long ago history, but here she was, asking him to take her back. That she made a mistake.

But that didn't matter now. Now he had someone else that he wanted to take to the aquarium, to the park, to Times Square to celebrate New Years. He had someone else that he wanted in his life. 

With a pained smile, he tried to explain it to Jieun.

"I-I'm sorry Jieun, but that can't happen. You're way too late, and even if you weren't, I don't think I would be able to take it if you ever did that to me again. After you broke up with me, I'm not gonna lie, I was a complete mess. It took me a while to put myself back together, and definitely not without the help of other people. I really liked you, but we just weren't meant to be. No, I'm not just saying that because a flimsy piece of paper told me, but I'm saying it because that's really how I feel now. I'm sorry that you and Kris didn't work out, but I'm not gonna be a second choice because that'll make you look like more of a catch so others can come pick you up and leave me bleeding from the pain again. I'm taking my chances with someone that I actually like, and I hope that they'll give me a chance. So please, Jieun-"

All that Hyukjae registered next was a pair of lips pressed up against his, and as reflex his eyes fluttered shut and his hands made their way towards Jieun's waist as the kiss was filled with so many emotions; of desperation, pain, anger, sadness, understanding, and most of all, regret.

That was when he heard it. It wasn't loud, but it was loud enough to reach his ears. He pushed Jieun away and his gaze flickered towards the slightly ajar door, and he saw familiar chocolate brown eyes brimming with tears before they, along with their owner turned away and sprinted down the hall.

"Donghae..."

Hyukjae ran out of the room and into the hall before looking both ways, but Donghae was nowhere to be seen. Releasing a cry of anger, he turned to the direction he saw Donghae scamper towards and dashed down as quickly as he could, but to no avail. 

Donghae was gone, and so were all his chances of getting the boy of his dreams.

* * *

 After Heechul and Jongwoon had finished decorating the room, Jongwoon went off to find Ryeowook and his turtle while Heechul went to find Donghae. 

With only ten minutes left to spare, he finally found the brunet sitting in the gym with Kyuhyun and Sungmin throwing around a dodgeball as they complained about how bored they were.

Heechul took that as his cue and without warning, dragged Donghae away from his friends and into the hall.

"Hey, hey! Let go! Who do you think you are? Let go of me before I hurt you- hey stop that! Ow! What the _helllllo_ Heechul, um, nice to see you. I didn't know that was you, so um, forget everything I just said." 

The younger then gave off a nervous laugh and took a small step back, not wanting to get hurt by the diva of the school. The man had a nice backhand slap.

Heechul just rolled his eyes before taking out a slip of paper.

"Listen kid, I need you to go to the music room and get me this. I'd do it myself but I'm too fabulous so go do it for me. If you don't, then don't think I've forgotten about the comments you made to me not too long ago."

Donghae just nodded viciously before speed walking down the hall, looking over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure that Heechul wouldn't surprise attack him and murder him.

When he got to the music room, he heard talking from outside. Not wanting to be rude, he opened the door just enough for him to see inside, and he saw Hyukjae with some girl that he didn't know. The room was decorated rather nicely, and there were chocolates and flowers on the table near them, so Donghae thought that Hyukjae must be confessing.

_Ahh, so that's why he hasn't been asking me out._

He knew it, but it didn't stop it from hurting. He could already feel the tears ready to spring from his eyes, but he kept watching. He saw Hyukjae smile at her, then he was talking, and he was talking for quite a while, before they suddenly kissed, and he should have expected it, but to be honest, it did surprise him so he gasped. He gasped, and it was much louder than he wanted it to be. Too loud. Because of it, Hyukjae turned, and Donghae could've dealt with a lot. He could've dealt with a look of offense, a look of shock, a look of anger or guilt or really anything, but the pained look in Hyukjae's eyes was too much for him, and before the tears could spill, he sprinted down the hall and out of the front door before anybody could say anything to him.

He didn't want anybody to know how much that little kiss meant to him, and how much his heart broke at just the sight of it.

He skipped the rest of the school day and just ran home where his concerned mother greeted him and asked him what was wrong, but he knew that if he talked about it, it would just make it all the more real and make his dreams all the more as dreams, so he just shook his head and made his way up the stairs, into his room and under the covers where he just cried, and he didn't stop for god knows how long.

He was tired of acting like he was okay with everything, and he just let everything out.

After calming down a bit, he poked his head out from under the covers and looked at the one picture on his dresser that he took with Hyukjae at the aquarium when they were in grade seven, and he couldn't take it. He got up and smashed the picture against the wall. He watched the glass shatter as the frame and the photo fell disgracefully onto the floor, and he fell with them onto his knees before his sobs got louder and louder as he pathetically hit the shards with his hands. 

His hands were bleeding and the pieces of glass jutting out of them hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart. 

He wasn't going to school tomorrow. Maybe not for awhile. 


	6. Chapter 6

 "S-Sungmin? I r-really need to t-talk to you."

* * *

 Waking up to incessant knocking at 7 in the morning on a weekend isn't exactly Hyukjae's plan for the day.

Groaning, he got up from his bed, made himself look presentable (nothing he could do about the red and swollen eyes though) and leisurely strolled over to the door. Not bothering to look outside to see who it was, he opened said door.

Worst choice he ever made.

"Lee  _fucking_ Hyukjae. I don't care who the fuck you think you are, but that gives you absolutely  _no_  right to break Donghae the way you did. That child is an angel who fell for you, and you snapped him into a million pitiful pieces. He broke up with Siwon because he thought that he finally had a chance with you, what with you and your 'perfect match' bullshit, but it looks like that crap doesn't mean very much to you considering what Donghae told me happened between you and _Jieun_. Did you see him? Did you fucking see him? I mean, I get that yeah, you might not be interested in him, but at least have some fucking decency to actually reject the kid! He's been pining after you for _five_ years. Five shitty years where I had to deal with him cooing over you and saying how perfect you were, and not just so that you could be some douchebag who thinks you're better than everybody else and string him along while you're off fucking some damn bitch-"

"Jieun is  _not_ a slut."

"I don't give a rat's ass what she is! You're a real dick, Lee Hyukjae, do you know that? What did Donghae ever do to you? Do you even have enough space in your heart that isn't filled with yourself to give an inkling of care, of guilt, even of  _pity_ for Donghae, for Christ's sake! He was ready to give up everything for you, his boyfriend, his reputation, his friends, just to be with you, and now he's at home, locked in his own room under his covers just crying, hugging a picture I didn't even know existed of you two at an aquarium or something! I don't get why he tried so hard to be perfect for a shitty asshole like you, but now that you've broken his heart more times than it could ever be repaired, he might finally stop admiring you as a perfect human being and start seeing you as the giant prick you really are."

Sungmin finally stopped talking, and there were tears streaming down his face as he clenched his fists and stared at Hyukjae, who was staring at the wall facing away from the strawberry blond, frame rigid as he held himself back.

Sungmin chuckled bitterly as he unclenched his fists and ran his hands over his tear-stricken face.

"You're not even gonna try to deny it, are you? You don't give a shit about Donghae or any-"

Hyukjae turned around and took Sungmin by surprise as he grabbed his shoulders and slammed him against the wall, teeth clenched and eyeballs red and wet from the tears that long ago fell from them. His body was heaving up and down from his heavy breathing as his words came out in short, breathy sentences.

"You have _no_ _fu_ _cking idea_ what the  _hell_ you're talking about! Before you even  _try_ to pinpoint anything on me, at least hear me out! First off, Jieun is not a fucking slut! She has had two boyfriends in her entire lifetime, me and some jock named Kris! So don't say anything if you don't know jackshit about it. Also, the room was decorated like that because I wanted to ask _Donghae_ out, not Jieun. Secondly, what asshole told you I wasn't interested in Donghae? He's been pining after me for five years? You have no idea how long I've been in love with that fucking boy. I know that he's an angel, every fibre in his body is absolute proof of that fact. The fact that he has put up with me for such a long time is honestly a complete mystery to me. To answer why I never asked him out, I'm nervous, alright? I'm a goddamn _mess_ whenever it comes to him, because I'm afraid I'll suddenly molest him or some other bullshit. Also, if he likes-"

" _Liked._ "

"Shut the fuck up! If he likes me so much, why was he even dating church boy in the first place? Before you try to say anything, do you even know our full story? Do you know why Donghae has that picture? Do you know why we've both liked each other for so long? Do you know why we both like all the same things? It's not a coincidence! Nothing these days is a coincidence anymore! Nobody has ever bothered to ask why Donghae and I get along so well whenever we see each other even though we never talk. Is it not weird to everybody else? Why we act like we've known each other for so long?"

Sungmin stared at Hyukjae who had long let go of his shoulders and was now sitting on the couch with a defeated look on his face, hair unruly and body slack; one touch could send him crumbling to the ground in a pile of dust.

Sungmin bit his lip as he stared at the visibly worn out blond. He may have been a tad too harsh, seeing as though this little drama was affecting both parties. Finally, he took a deep breath and let it out.

"Alright then. Tell me your story."

* * *

 Hyukjae was sitting at the front steps of the aquarium. He was still a little bitter over his and Jieun's breakup, but he figured he would get over it. He wasn't so in love with Jieun that it hurt to see her with anyone else, it hurt because of the fact that she dumped him for some guy way taller than him obviously because he had some more money than him.

Okay it was more than some but that's not important right now.

The point is, that he was mad at the fact that she dumped him for someone with more looks, money, muscle and 'style'.

_I mean, if she wanted more things, she could have asked... No, that's not the point, if she-_

"Hyukjae? Is that you?"

Hyukjae was pulled out of his thoughts by a squeakily asked question accompanied by the sound of a clearing throat only to look up and find a slightly shorter brunet standing in front of him.

_It's Donghae, holy crap it's Donghae! Umm, umm, act cool and natural..._

"Hey, Donghae, right? How's it going?" Hyukjae gave the most awkward smile possible and stared at Donghae expectantly. All he got back was a giggle and a slight grin.

"Okay, now that that's over with, what are you doing here, Hyukjae? Or should I call you Eunhyuk? I mean, I don't know, because apparently you don't like being called Eunhyuk anymore and nobody's really allowed to call you Hyukjae but to be honest I really like Hyukjae better so I don't-"

"Donghae, Donghae, you can call me Hyukjae, I don't mind."

Donghae sighed and gave a smile of relief while Hyukjae's heart filled with joy at the fact that Donghae had spent so much effort trying to understand what to call him when most people wouldn't even look his way.

"Anyways, so what are you doing here?"

"Oh. So, I broke up with Jieun like a week ago, but this is one of the places that we said we would go to on one of our dates, and I guess that just didn't happen or something, 'cause here I am being mopey about it. What are you doing here?"

Donghae looked thoroughly surprised by the question, before he blushed a deep crimson red and bit his lower lip while his eyes refused to meet the elder's.

"Umm, s-so, every Saturday I come d-down to the aquarium to see the clown fish because they're my absolutely most favourite thing in the whole world but you can't tell anybody that! Also, because I come around so often, all the staff know me and they let me feed the fish sometimes and help them out with tiny things... Nobody else knows because they would call me a wimp, but you won't do that, will you, Hyukjae?"

Of course he wouldn't, he thought it was downright endearing.

Donghae giggled.

"Goddamn, did I say that out loud?"

Donghae just nodded shyly before he thought of something else and poked the now embarrassed blond on the shoulder.

"Hey Hyukjae, why don't we go to the aquarium together? We're both already here, and it'll be fun to go see the fishies with you! And if you _really_ don't want to, you can just pretend that I'm Jieun or something."

"I'd really rather not imagine you as Jieun."

"Oh, because I'm not pretty enough or-"

"No no no no, not because of that. Because our breakup was kind of mutual and I really didn't like her that much and I would much rather go to the aquarium with you anyways, so, yeah. No imagining you as Jieun. Also, you're prettier than any girl."

Donghae beamed (and Hyukjae was sure he blushed) and then grabbed Hyukjae's hand and they ran into the aquarium to see all the fish. The brunet introduced him to all the staff, some of the customers who visit the aquarium regularly, and his favourite clown fish, Nemo.

"Nemo?"

"Yeah, it's a _really_ good movie, and Nemo is just so cute! The staff let me name him since he came in about 2 weeks ago, and I've been taking care of him ever since!"

Donghae's eyes were filled with absolute adoration and happiness while he and Hyukjae were dragging buckets of fish towards the dolphin tanks. After they finished with that, the worker that typically watched over Donghae, Kibum, gave them popsicles and let them sit on the bench by the penguins as they ate them.

Hyukjae, wanting to better know the boy beside him, decided to ask some questions.

"So Donghae, what do you like to do in your free time?"

"Well, I don't usually have that much because you know I can't finish the homework we get at school for the life of me, but whenever I do, I like to go to the dance studio near my house and watch the people dance. They're all so good! I like doing it, and my mommy says I'm good at it, but she's never seen the people there! A kid who looks like you goes there too, and he's absolutely amazing! He's probably one of the best there even though he's our age!"

Last time Hyukjae recalled, Donghae did live in the area near his dance studio.

"Donghae, is the studio called _Still You_?" Donghae looked thoroughly surprised, so Hyukjae assumed that he was correct.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Donghae, the kid that really looks like me and is 'probably one of the best dancers there' _is_ me. I've been taking dancing lessons since I can remember, and I guess it's just natural for me now."

Donghae's jaw was basically on the ground.

"Can you show me?! You're such a good dancer! How did I never recognize you? Show me that cool wave thing you did with your arms, or the twirly thing or anything! Just show me!"

Donghae was climbing all over Hyukjae, yelling at him, clawing at him, shaking him and all the works.

"D-Donghae, n-not h-here! And s-stop shak-king me! Everyone's l-looking!"

The younger then immediately let go of him and made a sound close to a dying squirrel. He sat down and gave everybody who was looking a nervous smile and then looked at his now twiddling thumbs.

Hyukjae sighed fondly at Donghae's embarrassed form and hooked his arm around said boy's shoulders and gave him a tight squeeze as he waited for the last few people to affix their gazes on something more interesting.

"So, let me tell you a few things about myself. My full name is Lee Hyukjae, I have a dog named Choco, an older sister named Lee Sora, my favourite fruit is strawberries, my favourite colour is blue, you already know what I do in my free time, and one more thing that you have to promise not to tell anyone! I'm only telling you because I trust you a lot, so don't break that trust!"

The now significantly less embarrassed boy nodded his head so vigorously that the blond was positive it was going to fall off.

"I'm bisexual and prefer guys. Your turn!"

A sudden look of surprise flashed across Donghae's face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of determination and a definite nod.

"Okay, umm, my full name is Lee Donghae, I have a dog named Bada, an older brother named Lee Donghwa, I really like strawberries but I don't think I have a favourite fruit. I like red, and I told you about the dance studio, but here's something only my closest closest friends know! Now you're one of them even if we can't talk at school, okay?"

Hyukjae's heart swelled with pride and he swore he felt tears prick his eyes. He nodded as he held back tears.

"Okay, I'm not heterosexual."

"So you're gay."

"Well I mean, if you wanna put it that way."

"But that's literally what you're saying."

"I  _suppose_ so."

 "So yes, you're gay."

"...Yeah."

"Alright."

"Alright?"

"Yeah, I just told you I'm bi and prefer guys, so alright."

"Cool."

After a long talk about everything from superheroes to what size shoes they wore, they went back to talk to Kibum about what else they should do, but Kibum just told them to have fun at the aquarium. As a result, they ran around and looked at the stingrays, belugas, angelfish, everything! Eventually, when they made their way full circle around the aquarium, they posed in front of the clown fish to let Kibum take a picture of them.

"Hyukjae, this may have been the best trip to the aquarium I've ever had! Can we keep doing this? Please please please!"

Hyukjae gave Donghae a big hug while in one hand he held the picture Kibum just took of them.

"Of course! I'll come back next week and the week after that and forever until we're old and wrinkly and Kibum won't let us come in anymore."

* * *

 "...And we just spent the rest of the day like that and we kept meeting up on Saturdays. It was fun, but lately we haven't been able to meet up because of Siwon. It would have been nice if we could talk at school as best friends, but the 'leader' of my group of friends was Heechul and yours was, well, you, and you guys kinda hated each other, so if we spoke, then you would've ripped off our heads. It's better now, but because of that Donghae and I don't really get the chance to talk anymore, and now I'll probably never get the chance to fix whatever he thought happened. Ugh, I should've just sucked it up and told him how I felt about him a long time ago. Then none of us would be in this mess."

Sungmin looked at the miserably drained boy. There was obviously serious misunderstanding on both sides, and nobody really seemed to be interested in clearing up this conniption. 

"It's true that none of us would be in this mess, but that doesn't mean that you can't still go talk to Donghae. Do you still know where he lives?"

Hyukjae shook his head before he continued. "Donghae moved in grade eight, and I never went over to his house. He still came by the studio, but I never got the chance to talk to him because he came after break ended and left before the end of the session. On Saturdays we were too busy catching up that I never asked."

Sungmin nodded along, understanding why they had grown so far apart recently.

"Well, if I tell you where he lives now, will you go fix this huge problem?"

Hyukjae looked at Sungmin with hope and disbelief clear in his eyes. If Donghae couldn't accept him after what happened, he wanted to at least explain and hope to stay friends with the boy, so he nodded once, a clear, definitive nod, and with that, Sungmin decided.

They had to fix this.

For everyone.

For Donghae and Hyukjae. 

* * *

 After Sungmin told Hyukjae the address and they finished having a little chat, he left the blond to prepare himself for his talk with Donghae. 

So, Hyukjae took a shower, changed into a nice set of clothes, did his hair and applied a tiny bit (a lot of a tiny bit, those red eyes were a bitch) of concealer, and headed out the door.

He didn't buy anything fancy this time, just an apology and maybe a hug (a kiss if he was lucky) and hopefully his friendship back with Donghae.

He drove down to the address that Sungmin gave him and took a couple of deep breaths while he sat in his car. He made up his entire speech, about how everything was his fault in the first place and that he should've just told Donghae how he felt after they found out that they were a perfect match. Feeling a bit more confident than he did a second ago, Hyukjae cautiously stepped out of his car and knocked on the front door.

The door opened very slowly and gently, and when opened all the way, the person who greeted him was not the one he wanted to see, but it was a familiar face nonetheless.

"Hyukjae! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in such a long time!"

Hyukjae just gave a painful smile and greeted Donghae's kind mother.

"Good morning, Mrs. Lee. Is Donghae home?"

The woman looked very skeptical to let him in, and Hyukjae was sure that he knew why. He had always liked how protective the elderly woman was of her son, and he was glad she was looking so well after him. He saw her look back, and standing just close enough for Hyukjae to see, Donghwa gave her a solemn nod.

"Hyukjae, Donghae isn't here right now. After he had a bit of a meltdown, he just stormed out of the house. I don't know exactly where he is right now, but he might come back later if you want to wait for him. I think he just needs to let his head cool down for a while."

Hyukjae nodded along to what she was saying while he was thinking about where Donghae might be. After turning down a cup of tea and an afternoon snack, Hyukjae bid goodbye to the tiny family and got back into his car.

He drove around mindlessly for a while, not sure where the short brunet would be. He passed by the tiny park by Donghae's new house, the convenience store at the end of the street, the daycare a few blocks away and anywhere that he could think of, when suddenly,

"Goddamnit! The aquarium! Hyukjae you idiot!"

He hopped into his car and sped down to the aquarium. Donghae was nowhere in sight, but that didn't stop him. He shot out of his car and into the aquarium and ran straight to the clown fish. When he got there, no one was there except for Kibum.

"Kibum!"

The mentioned man turned around and when he saw Hyukjae, surprise and happiness was evident.

"Hyukjae! What are you doing here?"

"Kibum, do you know where Donghae is?"

"Yes, he was here a second ago and he wanted to feed Nemo, but he didn't want to use our fish food so he just went out to buy something special for the little guy. I guess he was too occupied with that or something else that he didn't notice that Nemo got himself a fishy mate! They've been getting friendly for a while, but now she's pregnant! Donghae's gonna be a grandfather soon!"

Hyukjae looked over to the fish tank and sure enough, there were two clown fish in the corner of the tank, away from all the others just enjoying each other's company. They looked as though they cared about nothing and nobody else.

"Kibum, do you have a slip of paper and a pen?"

* * *

 When Donghae finally returned from clearing his mind (and buying the fish food for Nemo, _duh_ ), the aquarium was already empty. It had closed a few minutes before he had returned, but the front officers didn't mind letting him in for a while after hours. After all, everyone did love him. What wasn't there to love?

He walked over to Nemo's tank and looked around at the swimming little fishies, but he didn't see him. Where could he have gone? Donghae wasn't positive, but he thought he had seen Nemo when he came by earlier...

"Nemo's down in the corner of the tank."

Donghae turned around to see Kibum just standing there, broom in hand, looking at Donghae expectantly.

The young boy just nodded and turned back to the tank. He slowly approached it, and when he reached where Kibum said the fish would be, he saw Nemo and another fish that seemingly looked... pregnant?

About to scream at Kibum in anger and happiness for not telling him and for his 'son' finally having someone to spend the rest of his life with, he looked up, only to be met with a piece of paper taped to the tank with his name on it. He delicately peeled the letter off the acrylic and opened it.

_Hey Hae!_

_Can I still call you that? We kinda stopped with the nicknames after you and Siwon... well, you know. Anyways, first thing's first, I'm sorry. I don't know what you think happened between me and Jieun, but I'm telling you, and I really_ really _do hope that you'll believe me, that absolutely nothing happened between us. She said that she broke up with her boyfriend and that she wanted me back, but Hae, really, I don't like her,_ _I like you, and god, I'm an idiot for not saying it earlier. Look at what I put us through._

_Remember how we used to go the same daycare? Yeah, well, when your mom first dropped you off, I remember that I was just looking at you because you looked like the cutest little thing ever, when some kid was being stupid and ran into me, thus causing me to drop my carton of strawberry milk. I would've just picked it up and kept drinking, but then his friends ran over and trampled it, rendering it undrinkable._

_I was absolutely devastated, and so, being like, three years old, I cried. Hard. And then I'm not sure what happened next, but then you, the new kid who didn't know anybody, came up to me and gave me a new carton of strawberry milk and said 'hi, I'm Donghae, nice to meet you!'_

_That's really when it started. During elementary school, I never saw you, so I'd kinda given up hope. We never gave each other any means to contact each other, so it just happened. That's when I met Jieun, and after she got to know me a bit better, she asked me out. I figured, yeah, sure, she's cute, it'll be good for me. Everybody will want to be us._

_So that's how it happened. I never really actually had a lot of feelings for her, and I know it's bad to go into a relationship like that, but I was dumb and so I said a lot of things I thought would make her happy. I made a lot of plans for us, and when she just dumped me for someone with more money and that looked better, it hurt me. By that time, we were already in middle school, and being the rebellious teen I was, I died my hair platinum silver, earning me the nickname Eunhyuk. I guess I liked it, so I went with it. When I saw you there, in my class, sitting with Sungmin making some exaggerated movements with your arm after Jieun and I broke up, I thought it_ _was destiny, but nothing really went right._

_We had started hanging out here, and I was finally going to take the opportunity to strike, but I got to school on Monday after one of our meet-ups and found out that you and Siwon had started dating._

_Hooray._

_So I guess that's when I started not talking to you as much anymore. I'd still go on Saturdays, but you can vouch for this, a lot of the time, I'd just ignore you and finish what we were supposed to do and got outta there. I was really hurt that you and Siwon were together._

_Everybody either wanted to date you or be you._

~~_But now that we're both single, and hopefully I've cleared your mind of suspicions, I was wondering,_ ~~

_But Donghae, now that I've explained, I hope that you can forgive me. If not, then I'm sorry. At some point, just tell me to stop, and I will. You'll never hear from me again. But if you do forgive me, then please, turn around._

Donghae, tears brimming with eyes, squeezed them shut tight and turned around faster than anybody could've possibly imagined. He was ready to give Hyukjae the largest and warmest hug he could possibly muster, and maybe sneak in a little peck on the cheek. About to clobber the man right in front of him, he finally opened his eyes to see...

Kibum?

Kibum, slightly creeped out by Donghae, arms open and ready to embrace him, took a large and definitely noticeable step back.

"Umm, I don't know what that letter said, but Hyukjae just told me to give you these, so... here." Kibum outstretched his arms to the now recomposed Donghae who delicately lifted the items out of the giving hands. There were two things, a heart shaped chocolate box and another note that had 'READ ME' on the front this time.

Donghae opened the letter.

_These chocolates were made specially for you~_

_P.S. Meet me at the dance studio by 10 if you can! If you don't come, then I won't bother you anymore :(_

Donghae opened the box, and inside were Finding Nemo shaped chocolates, with Dory, Nemo (of course), Squirt, Nigel and so many more. Donghae teared up again and hugged the box close to his chest. He looked at the time and saw that it was already 9:30, so he said goodnight to Kibum and ran out the door and hopped onto the bus. He got to the studio just before 10, and when he opened the door, the lights to only one practice room were on.

He opened the door to the room quietly, and standing in the middle was Hyukjae, dressed in casual but fancy clothing. He let the door shut on its own, and it crashed close, causing Hyukjae to turn around. 

Donghae gave him a shy smile and cute wave before shuffling awkwardly on the spot. Hyukjae just gave a gummy smile.

"Hi." He said breathlessly.

Donghae giggled and crinkled his nose before he stared at the ground and bit his lip, trying to contain his obvious smile.

"Hi yourself."

"Come here."

"Make me, Hyuk."

"Come here, _Hae_."

Donghae giggled again before he almost sprinted to where Hyukjae was standing. As soon as he reached him, neither of them spoke and just stared into each other's eyes, letting their emotions get the better of them, and taking in all that was there for them to see.

Hyukjae was the first to break the silence.

"You look beautiful."

To that, Donghae just snorted.

"Yeah right. I'm in an oversized hoodie and sweatpants with socks and sandals and you're calling me beautiful? Also, I'm a _man_ , don't you forget, so shouldn't I at least be handsome?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry my princess, did I offend you? I'll make a note to never call you beautiful or pretty or anything 'girlish' ever again. Will that be better?"

"...I never said I don't like it. Just maybe warn me in advance if you're going to say something like that."

Hyukjae smiled at Donghae and opened his arms for a hug, and Donghae just scooted himself closer to the older man and snuggled in closely, tucking his head right into Hyukjae's neck as he felt two foreign yet familiar arms wrap around his body.

"I'm sorry for everything that I put us through. You mean so much to me, and I mean it when I say that I like you. I really do."

Donghae just hummed contentedly and burrowed deeper into Hyukjae's neck.

The blond, dissatisfied by this, pulled Donghae away from him and held him by the shoulders at arm's length.

"Nothing? You're just not going to reply to that? At all?"

Donghae smiled (how many times are we going to smile today?) at him, before he made his way back into Hyukjae's embrace (and hug too, seriously?).

"I really like you too, Hyukkie!" He gave Hyukjae a peck on the cheek and then hid his now burning red face into the slightly (ever so slightly) taller male's neck. The latter just chuckled and wrapped his arms around the brunet again before giving him a tight squeeze.

"I'm really glad, Hae. I'm really glad."


	7. Chapter 7

"Hyukkie~" Hyukjae turned around faster than the speed of light right as he heard the squeal and caught the brunet jumping into his arms right on time. 

Almost.

"Oww, Hyukkie, why'd you drop me?" Donghae was now sitting on the ground with his arms crossed as he pouted and fake tears filled his eyes. Hyukjae just clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes at the full grown baby now patting near his bum saying it hurt.

"Get up Hae. We have to get to class."

"But _Hyukkie_ , I'm hurt. You have to kiss me better!"

"Oh my god, you big baby. Come here." Hyukjae pulled Donghae up by his arm and basically dragged him to his first class. They didn't have first period together that day, so Donghae was pouting again.

Full force.

"Hae, don't do that."

Donghae just looked into his eyes with the sad, puppy dog eyes.

"Donghae."

His stare was strong, and Hyukjae could feel his resolve crumbling around him.

"Donghae, no. You're going to go to class and then we'll see each other next period again for math." Hyukjae looked at his phone and saw that he had two minutes left to get to class. Gathering up all his courage, he gave Donghae a quick peck (yes, on the lips) and ran off to his class, hiding his crimson cheeks.

"See ya later, Hae! Don't miss me too much!"

As soon as his boyfriend disappeared, Donghae didn't faint, no, he didn't blush red in the face and then hurry to his seat, he didn't get a nosebleed, no, he just screamed.

Really loudly.

Everyone heard him, really, you would've had to have been deaf not to, and so immediately Hyukjae ran back to Donghae with his face in a panic as he tried to calm down his on-the-verge-of-tears boyfriend.

"What happened? Hae I left for like two sec- what? What's happeni- wha- why are you cryin- what? Does anybody know what happened? I- Dongh- I- What? Please stop cryi- no not harde- no Hae-" Hyukjae couldn't get a full sentence out because as soon as Donghae had seen him he had started crying. No, that's not the right word, sobbing is more like it. Waterfalls were pouring from his eyes and down his face as they fell into huge rivers that pooled by their feet.

Donghae opened his mouth in what seemed to be an attempt at explaining himself, but all that came out were short, raspy whisper words.

"Y-you, you k-kiss- y-you me, I- we no t-that's n-not how- I- Hyuk- I" That's as far as he got before the tears consumed him again and Hyukjae had to pull him out of the room before more people stared and wondered what the hell they were up to. He dragged Donghae for the second time that day into the bathroom on the third floor just to make sure that no one would be there and sat Donghae on the sink.

"Donghae, take a deep breath and tell me what happened. Take your time seeing as we're already late for first period anyways." So Donghae cried for a bit more, sniffled some, wiped his nose on Hyukjae's clothes (which the older really did not enjoy no matter how much you say he did) and finally took some deep breaths and calmed himself. He rested his head on Hyukjae's shoulder as he explained his worries to his brand new boyfriend.

"This m-morning I was really only j-joking about the k-kiss thing because we've only been t-together for like a day or something so I was kind of relieved when you didn't kiss me but then b-before you left to go to class you gave me a really quick- and I mean _really_ quick- peck and I got really upset because that's not how it's supposed to happen because our first kiss is supposed to be filled with so much feeling and emotion and maybe you would take me by surprise or we would both be looking into each other's eyes and see something beautiful and slowly inch together or maybe after a date and you're bringing me home you dive in for the kill and then when we pull away I'm supposed to be blown away by it and you're supposed to pull away from it amazed but that's not what happened and neither of us reacted the way I wanted us to and it just made me really emotional and sad because I've always wanted my first kiss with someone I really like to be perfect and magical and have all the wonderful sparks an- mmmph!"

Yeah, you know what happened.

Hyukjae pulled away from the rather sudden kiss and stared at Donghae who stared right back at him with wide eyes. The younger slowly brought his hand towards his lips and gently touched them before he pulled his fingers away and peered at them and then back to Hyukjae who had a slight smile on his face. The older male kept the smile on his face as he brushed away some hair that was partially covering Donghae's left eye and then took the upheld hand into his own.

"How was that for a proper kiss?" Hyukjae asked gently as he squeezed Donghae's hand lightly, and then he gave a light breathy laugh as Donghae's eyes turned into crescents with happiness while they simultaneously filled with tears. He nodded at a nonexistent question, cried at nothing, and just hugged Hyukjae. They just stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's company and forgetting about anything else in the world. All that mattered to them at the moment was the one person that was in front of them.

"Hey Donghae?"

"Yes Hyukkie?" Came the very muffled reply. (Donghae had stuffed his face into Hyukjae's shoulder.)

"I just want you to know, that no matter what happened, what is happening, and what will happen, that no one in the world matters to me more than you do, because you are the most important person in the world, and never forget that. You are my everything, and there is no way I could go on without you. It took me such a long time for me to tell you this, and I sincerely regret that, but I hope that we can make the most of whatever time we have together. I-I know that we've only been together officially for literally  _one_  day, but, Donghae I- Donghae, I love you, and I have for such a long time, much longer than before you started dating Siwon, before we met at the aquarium, even before you first saw me at the dance studio. I think it all really started with the strawberry milk, and though I was just three years old, I knew. You were the one."

Hyukjae paused for a moment and let out a breath. He squeezed Donghae's frame for a quick second before relaxing and just holding the boy in his embrace.

"I love you."

* * *

Donghae and Hyukjae soon returned to class after that. Well, actually, they had already missed first period, so they decided to just lounge around in the hallways for the few minutes before second period began. They idly strolled down the corridors swinging their joined hands in between themselves as Hyukjae hummed the tune to a song that Donghae was sure he knew, just couldn't place the name. Then Hyukjae started singing.

 __Hamkke geotgo sipeoyo  
Geudaewa soneul japgo  
Bukkeureowo marayo  
Oh nan geudaeppunin georyo

Donghae just giggled cutely before Hyukjae quickly joined him and pulled him into another hug, which the younger fake resisted for a few seconds and then let Hyukjae's strong arms wrap around him. The bell signalling the end of first period and the start of second period rang and startled both of them, resulting in them landing almost the opposite ends of the hall. Seeing as though the bell essentially meant nothing, however, they just laughed at their stupidity and walked into the class together, but not  _together._

And so, after having a few classes together, but most not, the day ended, and Donghae said goodbye to Kyuhyun and Sungmin while Hyukjae bid farewell to Heechul, Yesung and Ryeowook, and they all walked their separate ways. After a few minutes, Donghae and Hyukjae turned around and started walking towards the bus stop that led to Donghae's house. The silence between them was more comfortable than anything, and the smell of autumn on its way was refreshing.

"Hey Hyukkie?"

"Yeah Hae?"

"..."

"..."

"I love you too."

Hyukjae just smiled a tight lipped, closed mouth smile as he glanced over to the shorter brunet. The younger male was clearly trying to play it off, but as he was looking into the distance, Hyukjae could see the tips of his ears were just a tad bit redder than they typically were.

"I know Hae."

Neither of them said anything after that, and Hyukjae stopped short just a few steps from the bus stop. Donghae was already there, and as he turned around to see why his boyfriend had ceased movement, he saw. He looked at Hyukjae, and actually saw.

There were tears in his eyes, and he was biting the inside of his cheek. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and he was rocking back and forth on the soles of his feet. He took one small step backwards, two, three. Then he opened his mouth to speak.

"Thank you."

He gave a final small smile to Donghae, turned around, and walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

You'd be surprised how often people mistake others for someone they're looking for.

Especially Donghae.

Because he's an absolute idiot who's trying to figure out where Hyukjae is because this rude son of a bitch wouldn't reply to his texts or pick up any of his calls.

So at 9 am on a weekend (how do you people wake up so early... I don't think I've ever done that before), he set out on a quest to find his MIA boyfriend.

Donghae's first stop was Hyukjae's house, but because he didn't have a car, he ended up taking the bus. When he got on, there was a man sitting down a few steps away from him. His head was down, and he was scrolling through his phone. All that was visible was his black hair.

Black?

Yeah, Donghae reasoned that Hyukjae got his hair dyed again.

So, ever so embarrassingly, he shouted.

"HYUKJAE!"

I feel so bad for that man. Donghae just ran towards him and hit him up the back side of his head. The man's head shot up and he gripped his head as he grimaced, and when Donghae saw this man's face, he slowly backed away and got off at the next stop. He then got onto the next bus that came.

When Donghae got to Hyukjae's stop, he was still feeling kinda embarrassed so he ran off quickly. He exited into a giant roadside market with vendors selling vegetables, fish, umbrellas, really anything. He took a minute to look at all the things that they were selling, and when he reached the fish, the vendor had his back turned so that it faced him, so all Donghae saw was blond hair this time. 

Donghae, you, I can't.

Donghae, still cautious about the bus incident whispered gently, "Hyukjae?"

The man turned around, and he cocked his head to the side. 

"My name's Baekhyun, hyung. We go to the same school. Hyukjae put me together with my boyfriend, don't you recognize me?" Donghae realized his mistake and bowed a few times to apologize before he rushed out of the market. While he was running down the street, he thought it was crazy how many people looked like his boyfriend. He saw a few more while he was running away, and so, sick of it, he just sat down on a bench at the side of the road and closed his eyes.

After a while, he woke up to soft prodding in his arm. Still groggy, he turned his head a bit and saw strawberry blond hair.

Sleepily, he questioned if it was Hyukjae again, and the person just giggled before popping fully into Donghae's view.

"Do you really miss him that much that you think I'm your precious boyfriend? News flash, I'm Sungmin!"

Donghae just blinked a few more times before he fully awoke, and sitting in front of him was indeed Sungmin.

"Minnie, do you know where Hyukkie is then? He won't answer any of my calls or text me back, and that's making me really angry, but I'm also really worried, because what if something really bad happened to him? I don't think I could handle it if Hyukkie was hurt."

Sungmin just smiled at the over-imaginative boy and pulled him in for a hug. He held him awhile, and then he gripped his shoulders and looked at him from arm's length.

"Donghae, don't you worry, because I'm positive that Hyukjae is absolutely fine. He can take care of himself, don't you think? Now, have you checked his house to make sure he was there? Because judging by how you were passed out here, you didn't make it there. How about I walk with you there?"

Donghae nodded his head and stood up to walk with Sungmin. The older male was right, even if he was mad at Hyukjae, he missed him a lot. He just wanted to snuggle up to his boyfriend and forget about everything else. 

While they walked, they talked about random things, ranging from the weather to what they wanted to do when grew up. They both forgot what they were supposed to be doing, so when they passed by an ice cream shop, they went in to get some cold, milky treats.

Donghae got chocolate and Sungmin got something eccentric like mangosteen and starfruit or the like.

They chatted and talked some more, all the while lapping up the ice cream that was threatening to drip down their hands and onto the table, creating a sticky, sugary mess.

Sungmin finished his ice cream before Donghae did, and while waiting for the brunet to finish it, he got a phone call.

"Hello? Hmm? Right now? Okay, I guess, I'll be there soon. Alright, love you too, bye." Sungmin hung up his phone, and with an apologetic look, he turned towards Donghae.

"Hae, look. I really had a good time with you today, but I gotta go. My mom just called me, and she needs me to help her pick up the groceries or something. You know how to get to Hyukjae's house from here, right? I hope he's there. Before I leave, here's a question for you. What's the date?"

Before Donghae could answer, the strawberry blond was already out the door. He gave the man a final wave before he half-heartedly kept eating his melted ice cream. It didn't even taste good anymore, so he threw it out and sat back at his table for a few minutes.

He missed Hyukjae.

The last question Sungmin had asked him struck him as odd. He hadn't even bothered to stay to hear the answer, so why had he asked in the first place? Curious, he pulled his phone out to check the date, and suddenly most of the pieces fit.

Today was October 15th.

Donghae had just been given a new sense of hope, and gathering it all up, he ran out of the store and sprinted towards Hyukjae's house. Sure enough, when he got there, all the lights were off and it appeared as though there was nobody inside.

Key word, _appeared_.

Just to make sure that he wasn't about to barge into an absolutely empty house with no occupants inside and be accused of robbery, he knocked a few times and then put his ear against the door. Sure enough, he heard some shuffling and muffled whispers, yet nobody came to answer the door. He knocked again, and still no one opened the door. So, he took the spare key from under the rock, and opened the door.

"SURPRISE!"

Donghae's face lit up as he looked over all the guests that were here just to celebrate his birthday. There was Heechul, Ryeowook, Jongwoon, Kyuhyun, Sungmin, Jungsoo, Hangeng, Kibum, surprisingly Siwon, Donghae's mother, Hyukjae's mother and father, and of course, Hyukjae.

Also a lot of other people, but let's spare the details. We're all here for the eunhae, yes?

Hyukjae had his arms wide open for Donghae, and as expected, the boy wriggled his way through the crowd and into his loving boyfriend's arms.

Hyukjae leaned down his head so that his mouth was positioned right beside Donghae's ear, and whispered just loud enough for the younger to hear.

"Happy birthday Hae. I missed you."

Donghae just smiled sweetly as he grabbed a fistful of Hyukjae's shirt. He revelled in the warmth of his boyfriend's body as he sighed a sigh of content.

"I missed you too, Hyukkie. Next time, even if you're going to plan a surprise party for me, tell me so that I don't miss you as badly as I did today. I was really sad."

"Aww, sorry baby. I'll make sure to do that next time. Now how about we have some fun at your birthday party before we send everyone home and have some fun on our own?"

Hyukjae wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Donghae, and he just snorted and shoved away his boyfriend before turning and intending to walk towards his parents, when a thought occurred to him.

"How did you convince Siwon to come? How did you have the heart to _let_ him come?"

Hyukjae smiled and laughed a bit before ruffling Donghae's messy hair.

"You know, just because you guys broke up, doesn't mean you can't still be friends. I'm also pretty sure that that's what you guys agreed to be after you broke up, so I don't really see a problem here. And I let him come because I heard the full story from Sungmin, who coincidentally also invited that horse. So go say hi or something. I'm here all day, but I'm pretty sure he isn't."

Donghae just nodded as he gave Hyukjae another quick hug and snuck in a peck before he made his way towards Siwon. He was currently talking to Kibum about what he did for a living and other things that were completely irrelevant to Donghae, but he still managed to worm his way into the conversation.

"Hey Kibum, Siwon, what are you talking about?" Donghae asked _so_ inconspicuously. However, neither of the two men seemed to care and they just carried along with their conversation with the new addition of Donghae. They spoke about school, grades, aquariums, fish and anything that had any relation to any of them. It was a mess, really, but hey, if you're having fun, why not?

Eventually, Donghae got bored because the only thing they were talking about now was what Kibum did at the aquarium, and Donghae already knew all about that. He _used_ to feed the dolphins and the penguins, sweep the floors, buy fish food for the fish, and take inventory of all the things they needed, but now Donghae and Hyukjae did those things, not that Kibum told anybody. Donghae had made it clear long ago that he didn't want anybody to know about his little... fascination with sea creatures, however everybody still called him a fish because when they were in middle school Hyukjae accidentally called him that once and nobody questioned why. It just happened. He was always good at swimming too, so everyone thought it natural to call him as such.

Kibum went on and on, boasting about how he had such a large work load for a 20 year old but Donghae was just silently seething at him because now that he and Hyukjae could legally work, Kibum dumped all the manual labour onto them and took the money. 

Bitch.

But he and Hyukjae did it anyways because, to be honest, it was fun and they got to spend time with each other.

After he finished tuning Kibum out, Donghae turned to strike up a conversation with his ex, but Siwon seemed utterly intrigued by Kibum to the point that it made Donghae extremely uncomfortable, so he just backed away without the intention of ever approaching either of them ever again and ran towards his parents who just made fun of him and congratulated him for turning 16. Behind him, he heard a snickering and saw Kyuhyun and Sungmin trying to hold in their laughter from watching the whole ordeal between him, Siwon and Kibum to him being absolutely patronized by his parents. Playfully angered, he ran over and put both of them in headlocks and they had a fake wrestling match with tumbles and light punches that ended in laughter and giggles. 

Today was a good day.

The party continued on like that, with Donghae speaking to his friends and in general just having fun. He met up with some of his friends that he hadn't seen in a very long time, like Yunho, Minho, Sehun and many others, and he wondered just how much Hyukjae had thought this out and how long it took him to locate all of these people.

And suddenly he realized how much Hyukjae really meant to him.

After Hyukjae and Donghae finally sent everyone home (with the exception of Hyukjae's parents (because, well, they're already home)), Donghae pounced on Hyukjae who just managed to catch him and collapse onto the couch. Donghae gave him a kiss filled with love, caring, and gratitude. When they pulled away, they stared into each other's eyes and Donghae's were once again filled with tears (this time from happiness) and Hyukjae's were filled with love and they were so gentle as they looked at Donghae; the two just worked together.

There are no proper words to describe the two of them. They are who they are, and they just make it work between them because they understand each other. They belong, and nothing can pull them apart, no matter how hard they try. Donghae is Donghae and Hyukjae is Hyukjae, but together they are something beautiful that we may never understand no matter what we do. Maybe we are destined to just admire from afar as we watch their beautiful relationship bloom.

"I love you, Hyukkie."

"You know I love you too, Hae. I always will."


	9. Chapter 9

Today had been an excruciating day for both Hyukjae and Donghae. It was one of those rare days where they had one class together in the mornings and then lunch before they had to go through a few more hours without each other to reach the end of the day, and by second period, Donghae was ready to murder someone.

A few desks away from him, completely obliviously to the teacher, a small group of girls were giggling about something, and it was driving him absolutely insane. There would be muffled whispers and then some muffled laughter before one of them would shush the others, and then the entire process would start over again. At one point, one of the girls pulled out her phone to show the others a picture and then they went wild.

Or as wild as you could get while trying to not get caught by the teacher.

Donghae wanted to rip their fake little mouths right off of their faces. Then he'd see what they had to say after that.

But he couldn't, or else he'd get in a lot of trouble. That was honestly the least of his problems right now though. God, he was going to go crazy from these girls.

Okay the 'excruciating' bit was kinda a lie on Hyukjae's part. His day was going pretty alright, just having Donghae with him would have made it a million times better. 

So far, he had made it through his classes pretty uninterrupted. No one seemed to have much interest or need to talk to him that day, so after he and Donghae had to part ways, he made it to his class quietly and calmly, took a seat, and carried on. He took careful notes, listened to the teacher, and when he was done with that and the lesson was dragging, he played Tetris on his phone.

Pretty good in his opinion. The only interruption was when the boy next to him asked to borrow his eraser, and he gladly handed it over.

He was in a good mood today, so when the bell rang to signify lunch, he sent a quick message to Donghae, packed his things up slowly and tranquilly and made his way towards the neglected booth in the lobby.

Pretty much as soon as he had sat down, Donghae came barreling down the hall and almost took Hyukjae down with him from the force he crashed into him at. Thankfully, this time Hyukjae was prepared and he steadied the two of them before they went tumbling down like Jack and Jill.

"Hyukkie~" Donghae whined. "There were these girls in my class and they were so annoying. They just kept going on and on about something, and it wasn't loud enough for me to hear what they were talking about, but it was definitely loud enough for me to hear them whispering and mumbling. They were probably talking about something stupid like their nails or their 'perfect boyfies', because one of them pulled out her super bedazzled phone and showed the rest of them a picture, then they started whisper screaming and fangirling and it was driving me nuts, but the teacher didn't notice what was happening at allll, so I didn't want to be the one to say anything because my teacher seems to hate me and then he would just yell at me for disrupting the class and ah!"

Donghae ended his frustrated rant with a very high pitched screech and Hyukjae grimaced for the duration of it before he pulled Donghae behind the booth and sat him in one of the two chairs.

With one hand rubbing the back of his now face-in-hands boyfriend, Hyukjae tried to console him. "You know Hae, if it really bothered you, you could've just texted me and we could've just talked about random things to make you forget about those really annoying girls, who I'm sure would probably be really nice if you actually gave them a chance. Now, I'm not saying you're wrong, but next time just talk to me, okay? I would never let you have to go through that by yourself, and I would probably share your pain because that has happened to me a numerous amount of times."

Hyukjae then smiled at the now happy brunet before he heard a call from down the hall.

"Hyukjae oppa~"

Hyukjae sighed and put on a tired smile.

"That must be Hyoyeon." He whispered to Donghae.

"Who's Hyoyeon?"

"She's just someone who's been coming by the past few days before I took a break to talk to me and try to figure out who her perfect match is, but I can't really seem to find one for her. I'm pretty sure she's in your class."

Donghae thought he could recall a Hyoyeon, but he couldn't remember what she looked like...

"Oppa!" A slightly short girl came down the hall with two more right in tow. Donghae didn't know what their names were (he did manage to remember that one of them was Hyoyeon), but he knew that they were the girls that were so goddamn annoying in his class this morning.

"Hyukjae!" He hissed at his boyfriend.

"What?" Came the whispered reply.

"It's them!"

"Who?"

"The girls who were being so annoying in class this morning!"

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes! I'm positive!"

"Okay... They're not that bad if you actually talk to them."

"I don't plan to do any talking!"

"Alright, alright, I'll get rid of them..."

Hyukjae cleared his throat and looked ahead of him to see that Hyoyeon (with Jessica and Seohyun) was smiling very widely.

Very widely.

He dismissed it, and as usual said hi to the girls and let them have a seat. The following isn't that pretty, so please turn away if you are weak at heart. Or keep reading if you wanna know what happens. (It involves Donghae. (Well duh, this is eunhae (actually it doesn't even get that bad (okay im sorry let's keep going))))

Hyoyeon decided to take the seat directly across from Hyukjae who was leaned back in his chair. She leaned forward and placed for elbows onto the table and hands tucked under her chin as she stared directly into Hyukjae's eyes. She took a glance at the already kinda ticked off brunet beside him, and made a fake look of surprise. Then she turned her sight to look back at Hyukjae and very exasperatedly said,

"Oppa, I didn't know that you and Donghae oppa were on good terms! Are you guys good friends?"

Donghae stared at her incredulously as he raised a perfect eyebrow, so Hyukjae was quick to speak.

"Actually Donghae and I-"

But Donghae was quicker.

"Yes, actually, Hyukjae and I are friends. Great friends. You could perhaps even call us best friends. What's it to you?" He said the last bit a bit rudely, and you could see it on Hyoyeon's face that she was a taken aback. She recovered quite quickly, but she was still offended as she gave Donghae a side-glance before turning back to Hyukjae.

"So oppa, about my perfect match..."

"Ah right. So about that. I still haven't been able to find someone just right for you. I mean, you put down really specific things. You said that you wanted some around 15 centimeters taller than you who liked to dance, and though they didn't appear that strong, 'their six pack really makes up for it'? You also said that you wanted them to be able to rap with you... I really can't think of anyone who matches the profile."

Donghae could. And he was pissed.

But Hyoyeon just pouted (Donghae assumed in an attempt to be cute) and gave Hyukjae puppy dog(?) eyes.

"Are you sure you can't think of anyone, oppa? No one at all?" Hyukjae thought about it for a few seconds again, before he shook his head in affirmation.

"I really can't, sorry Hyoyeon. I wish I could help some other way."

Hyoyeon bit her lip before she discreetly laid her hand on Hyukjae's now outstretched hand. She seemed to forget about a very angry brunet sitting less than a meter from her herself.

"Oppa, if it's not too much to ask of you, would you meet up with me some time on the weekend to discuss this then? We can look through some lists, and then you can see if there's anyone who might be suitable-"

Donghae snorted really loudly, and Hyoyeon gave him a quick but unfortunately ineffective glare. Hyukjae turned to his direction and gave him a confused look. This made Donghae give out a quieter but amused snort.

Of course. Of all the things that he's oblivious to, it's girls trying to flirt with him. Does she not know that he's in a relationship? With me? I'm right here. I guess she just has her head up in the Hyukjae filled clouds.

She was talking to his boyfriend again, and it occurred to him that the blond was probably what they were talking about when they were being pricks in class earlier. Perfect boyfies? Hell yes, but definitely not theirs. He was getting fed up with her shameless flirting and touching, and Hyukjae's fucking ignorance. He slammed his hands down on the table and stood himself straight up and, as planned, he grabbed everyone's attention. (Even Jessica and Seohyun's. He didn't know what they were doing up to that point.)

"Hey Hyoyeon, that was your name, right? Why don't you try and flirt with someone who's not in a relationship with the guy sitting right beside him? Don't you think that that'd be a really good idea? 'Cause I'm getting really pissed off with you right now, and I'm not afraid to mess up that pretty little face of yours that I'm pretty sure cost you more than a few thousand dollars. If you hadn't gotten it into your head yet, yes, for god's sake, Hyukjae and I are dating! Everybody in the entire school knows about it, how can you not? So I'd appreciate it greatly if you took your manicured hand off of my boyfriend's hand right now. And really? 'Their six pack makes really makes up for it'? I don't know what makes you tick, but right now I'm really hoping that it's a time bomb. So why don't you and your little friends pick up your perky little asses and get the hell out of my face before I sock you right in yours? Okay? Have a wonderful day, and don't ever try to flirt with Hyukjae ever again, because I won't let you off so easily next time. I'm already getting sick of looking at you. Get away from me." Donghae placed one hand over his eyes and turned away from the girls while he waved them away with his free hand. He heard the screeching of three separate chairs and the clacking of their shoes getting quieter and quieter before he finally turned back around to face an amused Hyukjae.

"What!" Donghae snapped, which just made Hyukjae smile.

"How in the world could you not know that she was flirting with you? Are you an imbecile? Is your brain fully developed ye- you know what, I don't care, You're an idiot. I'm dating an idiot. Oh my god. I need to run away. Everyone around me is an idiot. I'm an idiot. I have to go." And go indeed he did try. However Hyukjae just grabbed his arm and pulled him into a reluctant hug.

"Aww, was my baby jealous~ Don't worry, I only see you!" Hyukjae kissed the top of Donghae's head, and that had the boy squirming and of course, blushing. He weakly hit the taller's chest and then snuggled closer towards him, then put his head up to get another kiss. Hyukjae complied, and gave him a long, sweet kiss on the lips. Donghae giggled and tucked his head back into Hyukjae's neck before he remembered what had happened earlier.

He popped his head up again, now looking as serious as he could.

"If you ever pull something like that ever again I'm leaving you and moving to Alaska."

"Okay, okay, I promise to try to notice when people are flirting with me."

Donghae nodded approvingly as he hugged Hyukjae tighter. He had planned to stay like that for a while with his very warm boyfriend.

Then the bell rang and the two of them hurried off to class.


	10. Chapter 10

"Aww Hae, are you still thinking about Hyoyeon? Don't worry, even when you told them to pick their perky little asses up, your ass is the only one I would look at." Hyukjae gave Donghae a greasy wink and laughed when Donghae looked so conflicted. Was that a compliment? Either way, the brunet didn't know whether to smile at Hyukjae, hit him, laugh, or blush, so he just settled on smiling very fakely and looking a bit weirded out before returning to his food at once thinking that he _really_ ought to move to Alaska.

Hyukjae didn't appreciate that, so he poked Donghae's elbow once with his chopsticks.

"Hae."

Nothing.

 _Poke._ "Hae."

 _Poke, poke._ "Hae."

 _Poke, poke, poke._ "Lee Donghae."

 _Poke._ "Yah, Lee Donghae!"

Still nothing.

Frustrated, Hyukjae just puffed out an angry huff and crossed his arms over his chest. Seeing this, Donghae took out his phone and started texting somebody. Hyukjae didn't know who, but obviously it wasn't good, because Donghae was immediately being all smiley and giggly as he read the texts.

Why didn't he laugh with him like that?

Did he do something wrong?

Suddenly, Hyukjae felt very defeated on the inside. Well, perhaps that isn't exactly the correct word. His insides felt very tight, and it hurt a lot. He felt sad and angry, but he didn't know- ah. It was called angst.

He did not want to admit it, but rather than jealous, Hyukjae was just sad. He knew that he probably wasn't enough for Donghae, hell, he was absolutely amazed that the younger even agreed to date him, but when you had someone like Choi Siwon as your ex, that can put a lot of worries into you no matter how many times you've been reassured.

He really did care for Donghae with his entire being. Anybody would, the boy just screamed at you to protect him. The fact that they were both still technically children who didn't 'really' know what love was yet didn't help.

Hyukjae wasn't stupid, no, quite the opposite, actually. He knew that deep down, there was at least a small inkling in Donghae that did actually care for him, did like him, otherwise the entire Hyoyeon fiasco never would have existed. But the nagging feeling that he didn't mean as much to Donghae as Donghae did to him was devastating.

Not in the mood for food anymore, Hyukjae glanced back over to his boyfriend, but unfortunately he was still glued to the screen. The blond sighed, put down his chopsticks and packed his things up. Donghae gave him a glance but dismissed it quickly. Then, Hyukjae got up and lightly hit the younger on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey Donghae, I'm gonna head out first, okay? Umm, see you later I guess."

Donghae suddenly looked very alarmed when right after that, Hyukjae didn't wait and just decided to walk away. He hadn't finished eating yet, but Hyukjae had. He felt bad for always making the blond wait, but this felt... Weird.

While he stuffed things into his bag, he called out to Hyukjae.

"Hyukjae, hold on a second!"

But then Hyukjae just turned around and gave him a sad smile which caused Donghae to stop everything he was doing.

"W-what's wrong, Hyukjae? Did something happen?" The blond shook his head sadly and looked down, up, down, back to Donghae.

"Hey Donghae, just take your time, okay? Don't worry, but I'm just gonna go. Keep eating your lunch."

Hyukjae walked away and Donghae slumped into his chair. He stared down at his phone which still registered the conversation he was just having with Donghwa.

What happened?

Donghae disregarded what Hyukjae said and finished stuffing everything into his bag. He wasn't hungry anymore. When he turned back to go see if Hyukjae really had left, he was leaning against the door frame looking very uncomfortable as Hyoyeon was slowly inching closer towards.

Donghae felt himself getting ready to kill a bitch when the blond somehow managed to get himself away from Hyoyeon. He took this as his cue and he shot out of his seat towards Hyukjae.

When he got into the hall, however, Hyukjae was gone.

Feeling disheartened, he slowly walked down the hall, and when he neared the corner, he heard someone crying and the soft sounds of another comforting them.

Donghae peeked his head around the corner a tad, and he saw Hyukjae with his head down and in his hands while Heechul hugged him and rubbed his back, trying to calm down his friend.

The blond was sobbing his heart out.

The brunet was dying, not being able to help.

* * *

Donghae's day dragged on and he went through all of his classes, but to him, nothing really happened. There was no meaning to his day when he knew that Hyukjae was somewhere suffering, and it may have been his fault. 

He had tried texting and calling Hyukjae, asking around, even trying to find Heechul, but no one knew anything and Hyukjae wouldn't answer him.

He was so distressed and he didn't know what to do.

The more he thought about it, the more he came to the conclusion that he was the cause for Hyukjae being this way. He made Hyukjae leave, made him cry, made him run away from his problems.

Sungmin and Kyuhyun had tried to cheer him up, but honestly, what did they expect if Hyukjae wasn't there?

Hyukjae had walked with him everyday to the bus stop, but what now? They were supposed to go out today to the café down the street, but it didn't seem likely anymore.

Right after that thought, Donghae finally received a text from Hyukjae.

He pulled his phone out and immediately got prepared to call him, when he read the contents of the message.

_Hi Hae! Don't worry, everything's fine. There was just a little mishap back at home so I don't think I can meet up with you today after school. Sorry._

Hyukjae had lied to him.

Donghae put his phone away and laid his head on his desk. 

He was tired.

* * *

When the final bell signifying the end of school finally rang, Donghae pulled himself to his locker. He walked almost lifelessly towards the school doors, when he saw the familiar tuft of blond hair.

He had almost reached the end of the hall by the time Donghae saw him, so he sprinted towards him and watched the slow figure getting closer and closer. When he reached him, he clutched his shirt in his fist and tucked his head right between Hyukjae's shoulder blades so that Hyukjae couldn't see him. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then another, and then he blew out a puff of air.

"L-look, Hyukjae, if we're g-gonna do this, we n-need to tell each other about any p-problems or worries we're having so that shit like this doesn't happen! I d-don't know what's wrong with you, and it isn't making anything better because now I feel bad and I don't know what I did! If I even did anything! All I know is that I was h-having an amazing time j-just being able to sit with you, then I remembered I needed to t-talk to Donghwa, and, and, and then y-you left and when I went to find you, you were crying! I had to stand there watching as H-Heechul comforted you. You were crying so much, and I couldn't do anything. Then later, when you texted me about a f-family emergency or some other bullshit, I couldn't even try to reach you anymore b-because you had so blatantly lied to me. You weren't t-telling me why you were so hurt. It was probably m-my fault anyways, wasn't it?"

He squeezed his eyes together and let a few tears fall down before he loosened his ever tightening grip.

"I-I'm really sorry for anything I may have done, but please talk to me. P-please tell me what I did... I don't want this to happen again... I d-don't ever want to see you crying so much because of me... I love you so much, and, a-and I-I'm s-so sorry!"

Donghae's voice faltered at the end and he burst into sobs, so he quickly released Hyukjae's shirt and backed away while trying to muffle his cries by covering his mouth with his hands. Hyukjae didn't need this from him. He didn't need to deal with any more problems.

He probably didn't want Donghae here anyways.

So the brunet kept his hands over his mouth as he silently cried. He looked at the ground and let the tears come out before he felt that he could talk again. He lifted his hands from his mouth but kept them on his cheeks, head not lifting up.

"I-I'm sorry. I love you so, so much. I'll s-see you tomorrow. I hope."

He whispered it out, turned and ran.

* * *

He took it all in. He was texting Donghwa, he had seen Heechul, he knew he was lying, and when he let go to cry, no matter how much he tried to muffle it, it blared in Hyukjae's ears and tore his heart apart.

So when he tried to run away, Hyukjae whipped around and grabbed his wrist. Tears streamed down hisface as he stared at an equally tear-stricken face. They were a mess, but it was one that Hyukjae was willing to clean up.

He hugged Donghae tight to his body and cried on his shoulder.

They stood for a while, not speaking, not moving, just hugging and trying to figure things out.

It was just a soft whisper, but he still heard it.

"I love you too."

* * *

That night, the two had a very extensive conversation. They spoke about their worries, insecurities, troubles and any and everything else that came to mind.

They learned about each other and they worked through their thoughts, and eventually, they fell asleep listening to each other over the phone.

At school, everyone just saw another couple having another fight, then the next day they'd come back with no trouble in the air, but to them, it was an experience. All couples have a few troubles, but in the end, they're just growing pains that help us get through the toughest of times.


	11. Chapter 11

"Yo Hyukjae! Pass the ball bro!" Hyukjae let go of Donghae's hand to look around for said ball. When he found it, he realized it was a football... Great...

The blond wearily picked it up and looked at it in his hands before he turned to see his boyfriend staring at him with a smirk on his face.

"Well Hyuk? Are you gonna throw it?" 

Hyukjae sucks at football, let's just get that out there. Soccer, sure, basketball, not too bad, dance, hell yes, but football?

No.

He looked at the football again, then up to Donghae, back to the kids who were ruining his life by continually telling him to throw the ball, back to the football, and then at Donghae.

Then he had an idea.

While he looked at the still smirking Donghae, he started throwing the football from hand to hand while advancing slowly towards the brunet, a grin slowly growing on his face that quickly made Donghae drop his smirk.

He stopped about a meter away from the shorter, and by then his smile was full fledged.

"W-what do you want, H-Hyukjae?"

Hyukjae ticked his tongue in a disappointed manner.

"Oh no, Hae, don't call me that. What happened to calling me Hyukkie?" He paused and, if possible, Donghae could have sworn that his smile grew even larger.

"If you're so great at football, why don't you throw it to them?"

Donghae's face immediately paled. Yeah, Hyukjae may suck at football, but give one to Donghae and he'd find a way to immediately hurt himself. Allegedly accidentally too.

"I-Im g-good, Hyukkie, you j-just throw it t-to them. You have it a-anyways."

"Oh but  _Hae_ , what about your reputation as the school's heartthrob? Shouldn't you throw this football towards them so that everyone knows that Donghae oppa is perfect?"

"No, no, I really don't need to do that. Why don't you throw it so that Hyoyeon has more reasons to flirt with you?"

"Do you really want me to do that? Are you sure you could handle it? I thought you said you couldn't even look at her anymore?"

* * *

Minho just stared at the two bickering males across the field. He had asked them to throw the ball back over a while ago, but currently they looked like they were having a lover's spite. I mean, he guessed it was nice and all, but behind him he could hear that Youngwoon was getting really riled up, so he ran towards them.

As he got closer, he could hear bits and pieces of their conversation, and he had to admit, they _certainly_ cared about each other.

"Yeah well you're an idiot!"

"Wow! That was amazing Donghae! You're the smartest person I've ever met!"

"Well fuck you!"

"Right back at you!"

"No, Hyukkie! Don't say that to me! I'm sorry."

"Aww, Hae, it's okay. I love you."

"Me too, Hyukkie! Why did we fight?"

"..."

"Football?"

"I asked you to  _throw a football._ "

"Right."

"A goddamn football. Is that so difficult?"

"Jesus, I, yes, Hyukjae, it is! And you're one to be talking! Do you even know how to hold it?"

"Do  _you_?"

"..."

"..."

"No."

"Oh my god. I need to go. At this rate _I'll_ be the one moving to Alaska- oh hi Minho. What's up?"

Minho looked at both of them like they were crazy. Then he quickly looked down at Hyukjae's hands that were still wrapped around the ball, darted his eyes between the two, grabbed the ball and sprinted out of there.

Hyukjae and Donghae looked at each other, thoroughly confused, before they just shrugged it off and walked towards the school again.

* * *

When Minho got back to his friends, he looked like he was about to burst into tears. He was immediately surrounded by his friends who asked him what was wrong, but he just gave them the ball and sat down in the middle of the field.

His friends all looked around before Taemin cautiously walked over to him. When Minho saw him, he just pulled him down and told him everything that happened. After a while, Taemin walked back over to everyone and explained it quite efficiently.

"Basically he heard Donghae and Hyukjae arguing and it scarred him or something. I don't know. He told me to stay away from them when they were together, but I don't get why it was so bad..."

The group collectively shrugged and they just left Minho in his dazed position as they played around him.

* * *

"So I take it that neither of us are trying out for the football team then?"

"You got that right Hyukkie! The only sports teams I'll do are dance and swimming."

"I'll do dance and soccer then. Swimming and soccer are at the same time, right? So after practice, let's meet up and walk home together, yeah? Or you could crash at my place awhile."

Donghae blushed at the prospect of staying over at Hyukjae's house. Yes, yes, he is 16 years old and he's blushing at the thought of potentially being jumped in his sleep. Whatever.

Hyukjae hadn't noticed anything, but got curious when Donghae didn't answer his question, so he looked up to see the shorter male all shades of pink and red.

"Seriously?"

The ever-still blushing male snapped his head around and tried to look as offended as could while trying to contain his smile.

"W-what?"

"Are you blushing at the thought of just staying over at my house? What about if we share a bed huh? Did you know that I don't like to sleep with a shirt on?"

"Okay, and?"

Hyukjae looked around to make sure that there was no one around them, before he smirked at his boyfriend and looked right into his eyes as he tantalizingly lifted up his shirt and exposed his beautiful six pack.

At first, Donghae had no idea what Hyukjae was doing, but then his gaze dropped down a bit and he turned brighter red than humanly possible.

He then thought about what Hyukjae had said earlier, and he couldn't look anymore. He covered his eyes as he squealed very loudly to himself, and then Hyukjae had laughed and hugged him very tightly, which honestly did not help at all because all he could think of now was those abs.

Hyukjae let go and looked at his phone before he realized that the first dance practice of the year was happening soon. He was one of the best dancers, and he had joined last year, so he knew most of the dances unless they came up with any new ones. Donghae was still blushing insanely, though, but they had to get going or else Hyukjae could kiss the chance of being new dance team captain goodbye.

He dragged Donghae towards the gym (they sure do a lot of dragging, don't they?) and when they got there, he saw that there were only a few students there.

He left Donghae near the door to cool down, though most of the red had dissipated, as he walked over to the CD player. He popped it open, and to his satisfaction, the proper CD was put in.

He grabbed Donghae and they changed quickly, and when they got out, a lot more students had arrived. 

The captain wasn't here. According to another student, he had transferred earlier this year, so Hyukjae took over the role. He sent Donghae towards the crowd of people and then got ready to teach some dancing.

He clapped twice very loudly, and to his surprise, everyone quieted down and looked towards him.

"Alright, first thing's first. If you're just here to watch some hot guys do some hip thrusts, please leave."

He heard some groans and the sound of the door opening and closing.

"Secondly, yes, I am bisexual! I prefer males! However, I will not jump you because my lovely boyfriend does happen to be here. If you are still uncomfortable with this, please leave."

He saw one person stand up from out the corner of his eye, and he was about to be very disappointed, when he saw it was Donghae pretending to walk towards the door.

"Hae, sit back down. I'm not done yet."

This cause almost the entire team to turn to look at Donghae who just nervously smiled and waved.

"Uhh, hi. I'm Donghae, Hyukjae's boyfriend. Nice to meet you all."

Some people greeted him, others waved, some just ignored him.

"Yes, yes, they know, Hae. Now sit down." Fortunately, nobody else seemed to make any movements to show their leaving, so Hyukjae continued.

"Anyways, now back to the actual dance stuff. I want you guys to split yourselves into two groups. Group 1 will be the people who know what they're doing. They've been here one or two years and they get the gist. Group 2 will be the rookies who need to get their game going. They can sit along the wall. Group 1 come meet me."

Donghae looked around and saw everyone quickly organize themselves. He got very flustered, and so when everyone else had found their spots and Donghae was the only one left, he ran to the only place he could think of.

"Hyukkieeee-"

"Group 2!"

"-eeee okayyyyy!"

* * *

 Donghae watched as Hyukjae talked to the team very intensely but obviously happily. After a few minutes, they scrambled into three lines with Hyukjae at the very front. He looked into the mirror at one of the new kids and nodded to him. The kid pressed play and immediately music came on. The team danced amazingly to it, and they were all in sync, however Donghae was mesmerized by Hyukjae.

They practiced a few more dances before Hyukjae called for a break, and you could see the sweat dripping down everyone's foreheads, but they were smiling. He looked to Hyukjae, and to his surprise, no more shirt.

Some time between when he looked away from Hyukjae (which wasn't often) to looking back, the blond's shirt had disappeared. All he saw was the six pack.

Oh how he loved the six pack Hyukjae.

After break Hyukjae called group 2 over and let group 1 watch from the sides. He called a few of the better dancers that he knew weren't tired yet back over to help out, and then he showed the group how to do the dances.

"So that's all the dances! If you need help, call either me, Yunho, Taemin, Jongin, Yixing or Hyoyeon and we'll help you."

Immediately, a certain brunet's hand shot up and Hyukjae sighed and jogged over.

"Do you need help, Donghae?"

"Well yes but what was that about Hyoyeon?"

"I  _knew_ you were gonna say something about that. Look, she may act that way, but she actually does know what she's doing. She's a great dancer, and she's been on the team awhile, so I figured why not? Now, do you actually need help, or did you just call me over to talk because I know you can memorize this dance in like two minutes."

Donghae just giggled and gave his boyfriend a cute smile.

"You know me too well Hyukkie. Anyways, I just wanted to know if we were hanging out today too." 

Hyukjae mused over it as he looked over the new dancers. They were doing pretty well.

"Yeah sure, we can hang out at my house, and if you want you can sleep over. I have some clothes that could fit you."

Yes, yes, he's blushing again, I know.

Hyukjae quickly,  _very quickly,_ glanced back to Donghae and then the dancers, when he whipped around to face the younger.

"Really? Right now? Yes, Lee Donghae, I am half naked! Congratulations! And yes, I am your boyfriend! Therefore, this belongs to you, okay? Get over it!"

Hyukjae did not realize how loud that was until the whole gym went completely silent and he heard one very dragged out wolf whistle.

 It was his turn to blush now.

"Oh shut up and keep dancing. I can still kick you guys out of the team okay?"

Everyone quickly continued to dance as Hyukjae gave Donghae a kiss and walked away to help another member on the team.


	12. Chapter 12

It had been about a month since the dance team was re-established, and their first competition was tomorrow. Everyone was very nervous and worried about it, but they were ready to go out and give it their all.

When they arrived at the venue, it was decorated very festively with paper snowflakes scattered along the rooms and a Christmas tree right in the middle of the lobby. They saw some of the other dance teams getting ready, and they had to admit that they were all very good.

Good enough that Hyukjae's team didn't even place in the top 5.

Obviously, everybody was very disappointed about this and wanted to train more, but Hyukjae's family had decided that they were heading to England for winter break, leaving the group, Donghae, and Korea.

Hyukjae had landed in London and immediately contacted Donghae by calling him. That was how they spent the winter break; calling and texting whenever they could and occasionally video chatting when the blond wasn't busy. He told Donghae about what he had done that day, what sort of things he saw, and anything he thought would have been of interest to the younger. Of course, though, he didn't just go on and on until Donghae's ear fell off, no, he let the other speak as well.

Hyukjae had appointed the brunet as the temporary leader of the dance team since he had picked up all the routines very quickly. He wanted to know how Donghae was doing and who to scold when he got back. 

The conversations they had were full of happiness and excitement, and always ended with a cute exchange of 'I love you's'.

The day before Hyukjae was due to head back to Korea, he had tried to call Donghae, but to no avail. He concluded it to the fact that there were time differences between the two countries. As that is, he boarded the plane and waited to arrive back in his home country.

* * *

_Hey Hae, I'm back! Do you wanna come over? I'm free right now._

He waited anxiously for a response, but he didn't get a message nor phone call back.

Hyukjae had landed in Korea about 3 hours ago and he had called Donghae as soon as he got back to his house, but unfortunately, Donghae yet again did not pick up. Now he was worried. 

He had texted Donghae a few times, wondering if he was alright and just checking up on him, but he never received a response. This was unlike his boyfriend, and it made him very concerned. However, tomorrow was Monday so he had to get ready to go to sleep so that he could actually wake up the next morning. He was hoping that he'd see Donghae there.

He picked his phone back up just for a second and typed a quick message before placing it back down.

_Good night Hae~ Hope you're alright :)_

* * *

When Hyukjae got to school, he did not see Donghae anywhere. He didn't have first period with him either that day, so he wasn't sure if the shorter had even come into class or not. 

Hyukjae very distractedly got through his first few periods before it was lunch time, and when he got to the cafeteria, Donghae was nowhere in sight. He went down to the lobby to see if the brunet was perhaps waiting for him at his booth, but all that was there was a few scarcely dressed girls. He ran away and tried looking in the gym, and though Donghae wasn't there, he did find Sungmin and Kyuhyun, and for that he was thankful.

"Sungmin! Kyuhyun! Wait!" 

The two mentioned turned around simultaneously to see a struggling blond running towards them. When he reached them, he was out of breath and so Sungmin quickly put out his two arms to steady him.

"D-do you guys know where Donghae is?" Sungmin and Kyuhyun looked to each other and communicated with their eyes, but even though they weren't speaking, Hyukjae understood. The confused look on their faces was blatant enough.

"So you don't know then... Fuck!" Hyukjae ripped himself from Sungmin's grip and turned around to leave the gym. The strawberry blond looked on at him with sympathetic and sad eyes when something popped into the youngest's mind.

"Hyukjae! Wait! I remember! I think his mom told me something about being admitted into the hospital!"

Hyukjae ran.

* * *

Right now, Hyukjae couldn't have cared less about the classes that he was missing that afternoon. All that was occupying his mind was that Donghae was in the hospital, and he had no idea when, how, or why. He drove down to Donghae's house, and when the door opened, he was greeted by a weary Mrs. Lee who quickly ushered him into the house.

"H-hi, umm, D-Donghae?" It was such a lame attempt at trying to figure out where her son was, but she understood. 

"Oh, did you hear from Kyuhyun? Oh, you must have been so worried. Yes, Donghae has been admitted into the hospital. You see, these past two weeks he's been pushing himself to practice his dancing, and recently he started refusing to eat because he thought he hadn't practiced enough, that he wasn't good enough yet. Because of that, he, well, he collapsed."

Hyukjae took in a sharp breath. He slowly let it out.

"The doctors said it was exhaustion and all he needed was a stress free environment and a few day's rest, so he's in the hospital for the time being. He should be relatively alright, so you shouldn't worry too much, alright Hyukjae?"

Hyukjae nodded very stiffly before he thanked Donghae's mom and made his way back to his car. When he got in, he took a few deep breaths and calmed himself.

Donghae was fine.

He was fine.

He had overworked himself to the point of exhaustion, but otherwise there was nothing wrong with him.

That was a lot better than anything Hyukjae had expected.

At a much more leisurely pace this time, Hyukjae drove his car down towards the hospital that Donghae was staying at. He parked his car not too far but not too close from the building and went in. 

The smell of disinfectants and the bright white walls unnerved him, but he steadily asked the receptionist for the brunet's room number and made his way down the hall.

_101... 102... 103... 104!_

He knocked three times on the door with no response. He was about to knock again, when he heard a stressed cough before a slightly hoarse "come in".

The blond opened the door cautiously and peeked his head inside first, only to see Donghae lying on the hospital bed with an IV drip running straight to his hand. His eyes were closed as he was taking a moment's rest.

As such, Hyukjae slipped in as quietly as he could before he closed the door with an unsatisfying 'click'. That roused Donghae from his rest and he opened one tired eye.

"Mmm... Hyuk? Is that you?"

Donghae sleepily rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands before mumbling a bit and turning on his side, away from the older male.

"Hmm... no... Hyukkie doesn't know I'm here... He comes back soon though... I miss Hyukkie..."

Hyukjae smiled at his cute little scrunched up ball of adorableness laying on the bed and he walked closer to him. When he was right by the bed, he walked over to the side that Donghae was facing and grabbed a chair to sit right in front of him.

The brunet was conscious enough to hear someone plop down in front of him, but seeing two eyes staring right at you isn't an ideal way to wake up.

"Ahh!"

"Ahh!"

What proceeded was a series of loud, high pitched screams alternating between the two before a nurse finally came in, smacked Hyukjae upside the head and yelled at both of them to keep it down.

"Oww... Why'd she only hit me? We were both screaming... Right Hae?" Hyukjae made a sound of pain and rubbed the side of his head as he turned to look at Donghae. However, Donghae had pulled the covers all the way up to his face, and the only part of him that Hyukjae could see was his hair, his eyes and the tips of his fingers.

"Hae?"

Donghae shakily lowered the hospital blanket down to his lap as he leaned forwards cautiously, almost as if unsure if he was staring at someone from the figment of his imagination.

" _Hello?_ Lee Donghae? Are you alright? How many fingers am I holding up?" Sure enough, Hyukjae held up three fingers, but Donghae's eyes just welled up with tears as his hands balled up into fists while clasping onto the blanket.

"Whoa, umm, Hae, Hae! Why are you crying? Does something hurt? Please tell me- umm, umm, oh no, what do I do- Hae?" One of Donghae's hands had reached out and lightly grasped onto Hyukjae's pinky finger, successfully stopping Hyukjae from roaming about in an attempt to fix whatever problem it was that Donghae currently had. Hyukjae thought that it was safe to say that he was completely and utterly confused as to why Donghae was acting like this and as to what the brunet actually wanted from him.

"H-Hyukjae? Is that really you, or am I just hallucinating? The doctors said that could happen..." Donghae whispered the last bit, but it was still loud enough to make Hyukjae's eyes widen to the size of saucers and scramble towards the brunet while reassurances spurted from his mouth like wildfire.

"No, no, no, it's me, I'm real, Hae you don't have to worry... Okay?"

Hyukjae sat on the bed delicately as he held eye contact with the younger, who after staring into his eyes for a moment, melted and took the blond into a hug.

"I missed you~" It was quite difficult to understand him with his mouth being muffled by Hyukjae's shirt and all, but he still understood and it caused light chuckles to escape the elder's mouth.

He pecked Donghae's head very lightly before rubbing the younger's back.

"Missed you too, Hae."

They talked for a while, mostly about the blond's trip and never about how Donghae actually ended up in the hospital in the first place. For now, all that mattered was seeing each other again. After exhausting all possible conversations, they just looked at each other awhile. Then Hyukjae smiled.

"You know Hae, there's somebody I know. Now this somebody, they're really great at everything. They have good grades, they're popular, and everyone likes him. But there's one thing he doesn't have. See, this great kid really likes someone, but he can't tell him. That someone is so much better than him at everything else, except for dancing. Now that doesn't mean he sucked at it, no, far from it. So after a few misunderstandings and both of them being idiots for a while, they started dating. Everything seemed great, and yeah, they had fights every once in a while, but really, who doesn't? But then the popular idiot went on a trip far away. Now his boyfriend, being the absolutely lovely doll that he is, didn't say anything about it and just made sure that he enjoyed his trip. What he didn't know, though, was that his amazing boyfriend was back home, doing whatever he could to try to be better at something that he was already amazing at. He did it to the point that he collapsed from exhaustion and slight malnutrition, yet didn't even decide to tell anyone because he didn't want anybody to worry. He thought that he could get over it without anyone knowing. But this boyfriend that went on a trip, he came back and couldn't reach his lovely other half. He was so scared, so worried, that he did anything to try to figure out where that kid went, so he tried. He asked his friends, went around school, eventually he even went to his mother. But after all that, when he found him, lying sleepily on a hospital bed, not altogether certain what was happening around him, all he wanted to tell him was how perfect he was. How perfect he is. He wanted to remind him that nothing would change how he thought of him, because he loved him, not his dancing ability. He loved him just the way he was. Now Donghae, don't you think that he loved the boy in the hospital very very much?"

Donghae nodded vigorously before he hugged the blond once more. Hyukjae put his arms loosely around the younger and sighed at the serenity of the moment. He mindlessly played with the locks of brown hair.

"I love you Donghae. Next time, no matter where I am or what I may be doing, just call me, okay? I'll make sure to pick up. And, just so you know, I think you're awesome at dancing. Better than Hyoyeon."

Donghae laughed at that and hugged Hyukjae tighter to him.

"I love you too Hyukjae."

Donghae needed to stay in the hospital for a little more since he wasn't all spry and chipper yet, so Hyukjae got Yunho to be in charge of the dance team for a while he helped Donghae with his diet and making sure the brunet got enough rest.

Next year, they'd train even harder (except for Donghae, he'd train as hard as he'd need to) to beat the other teams and win the gold for their school. They deserved it for everything that they'd done and gone through.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey Donghae, don't you ever just wanna get out of here? Like, I dunno, just leave?"

Donghae stared at the setting sun for a little longer, the wind lightly ruffling through his short brown locks. He turned his head to look at Hyukjae, large eyes staring at him with a hint of amusement and the slightest curiosity.

"And why would you ask that, Hyuk? Do _you_ wanna leave? Is that it? But why would you want to leave Seoul? It's such a beautiful place, though I must admit, Mokpo _is_ the shit. I mean, sometimes I feel like it would be absolutely splendid to get away for a day or two, but then, where would I go and with whom? What would happen to those around me, and are they being taken care of? Things like this."

Hyukjae stared at him blankly, and nodded a few times, his head turning towards the front again slowly. He took all of what Donghae said into consideration. Where _would_ they go? Wherever it was, Donghae would bring him, right? They would be going together. At least, probably.

The blond let out an exasperated sigh. "Forget I even said anything. Seoul is amazing, and there are so many things here, like Namsan Tower, Myeongdong, Lotte World... Is there anything else here? You're right. This is a great place to live, and I would never give it up. There are too many memories here, and I think it would be too abrupt a choice to just uproot everything and head on out. Just remember though, Hae, I would go anywhere just to be with you. So-"

"Aye Hyuk! Whatcha doin' up there? Having a nice little date with your boyfriend? You aren't torturing him too much, are ya? If he doesn't enjoy it, I'll gladly take him right outta your hands. Whaddaya say, fish?"

Hyukjae and Donghae rolled their eyes simultaneously when they heard Heechul's booming voice from all the way down the hill. They looked at each other and shared a knowing smile before getting up off of the picnic blanket they had put down earlier. They made their way down and as soon as they reached, Sungmin and Kyuhyun tackled Donghae to the ground while Heechul put Hyukjae into a headlock that he wouldn't be able to get out of for the life of him. The timid, spry, little Ryeowook slowly approached them, hand in hand with Jongwoon (who of course had Ddangkoma on his shoulder). There was an abundance of greetings and hugs shared, and then the 7 of them flew into the sunset, never to be seen again.

No not really.

Ddangkoma fell off of Jongwoon's shoulder, sending said male into a flurry of worries, and, forgetting he was still holding poor Ryeowook's hand, he dragged the frail boy right to the ground with him, sending everyone else into a mess and making their way to the ground to help Ryeowook (and the turtle, but really, they're equally important to Jongwoon (okay Ryeowook's a bit more important but don't let Ddangkoma know)).

Now, Heechul was gently cradling the turtle in his arms as he looked in front of him to see Hyukjae giving a squealing Donghae a piggyback ride, Jongwoon fussing over Ryeowook and making sure he was alright and Kyuhyun with his arm over Sungmin's shoulder, whispering something to him that was making the strawberry blond squirm from embarrassment. He sighed.

No one looked back.

He sighed again, this time louder.

Still, nothing.

He over-exaggeratedly sighed once more, making it so loud you could hear it from Texas.

Apparently the three couples in front of him were deaf.

He stopped in his tracks and was about to throw the item in his arms down to the ground, when he looked at the wide-eyed (can that happen) Ddangkoma and realized that not only would Jongwoon kill him, Ddangkoma would find his dead spirit and murder it again, so he just started cradling the turtle again and grumbled to himself.

"Goddamn fucking couples don't have any consideration to me... What am I supposed to be, the... 1,2,3... 7th wheel? Is that how this thing works? I really don't think so... What? What was I say- ow, ow! Ow, you fucking son of a bitch! Shit, that hurts! Jongwoon! Your fucking turtle's biting my flesh off, I think it secretly craves for huma- OW FUCK!"

Heechul (delicately) threw the turtle to the ground and ran away from it at lightning speed, not thinking about how _fast_ a turtle is.

He's a smart one isn't he.

He turned around to give the turtle a death glare, but it was nowhere in sight.

"What the fuck? _Shit. Jongwoon is going to murder me to death._ Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck- Hangeng? The _fuuuuck_?"

Hangeng was staring at Heechul incredulously. "Is fuck the only word you know? By the way, I picked up this turtle. It kept trying to bite something, so when I started walking towards the direction it was snapping at, I found you. So is it yours? The turtle's really cute by the way, reminds me of my ancestral roots. Ahh, the magnificent dragon. Anyways, what's it's name?"

Goddamn, if having this turtle around could get ~~Heechul into Hangeng's pants~~ Hangeng into Heechul's pants, then he would gladly take the nipping on his skin any day.

"Uhh, yeah, the turtle _is_ mine. Umm, its name is Ddangkoma, and, uhh, I think it wants human flesh."

Hangeng laughed at that with a beautiful lilt in his voice that sent Heechul soaring above the clouds. "Okay, umm, I'll take that as a joke. So, Chullie, can I call you that? I dunno how to say the _Hee_ part of your name correctly. Anyways, Chullie, is Ddangkoma a girl or a boy?"

Heechul just nodded dumbly.

"What?"

"You can call me Chullie if I can call you Geng..."

Hangeng just shrugged. "You can call me that if you want. That's what all my friends call me, so go ahead. Anyways, is Ddangkoma a girl or a boy? 'Cause you didn't really answer that just now..."

Heechul seemed to awaken from his stupor of sorts and then stared at the turtle.

"Huh... that's a good question."

"..."

"What?"

"You don't know if your own turtle's a girl or a boy?"

"No? Am I supposed to kn- shit, umm, right, Ddangkoma's my turtle, so of course I should know its gender. Ddangkoma is a-"

"Yah! Kim Heechul! Are you using my turtle to pick people up? Ddangkoma isn't ready for the vast world of wingmen yet. Try getting a date on your own. I'll be taking my turtle now, thank you very much." Jongwoon took the turtle right out of Hangeng's hands and walked away, rubbing the reptile's smooth shell the entire way back to Ryeowook, small words of comfort being told.

Heechul stared at Hangeng awkwardly and the Chinese man stared back equally just.

"Umm, so yeah, turtle wasn't mine-"

"I know. I, uh, I wanted an excuse to come talk to you."

Now, not many things surprise the great Kim Heechul, but _that_ was definitely one of them. Then again, not really, because who wouldn't want to date him, the most flawless human being in the world?

"So then..."

"Oh for fuck's sake _kiss him already!_ "

Heechul stiffly turned towards the voice. "WHY THANK YOU, HYUKJAE. CERTAINLY. I'LL MAKE OUT WITH HIM RIGHT NOW JUST BECAUSE YOU SAID SO- fuck off!"

Heechul turned back again and gave Hangeng a strained smile. "Sorry about that... um, you see, Hyukjae has these issu-"

"I actually don't see a problem with that."

"What?"

"Make out with me."

"..."

"..."

"What?"

"Good lord."

And then Hangeng grabbed Heechul by either side of his face and pulled him into a rough but delightful kiss, accompanied by many cat calls and wolf whistles.

"Okay, we gotta go now, peace!"

They did not care.

* * *

Hyukjae and Donghae laid on Hyukjae's bed.

"Hey Dongh-"

"No."

"What?"

"No sex."

Hyukjae sat straight up and stared at the brunet still lying on his bed.

"What do you mean? That isn't even what I was going to say! I was just gonna ask what you wanted eat for dinner! Why'd you bring up sex? You got out from the hospital like 3 days ago, I wasn't going to do _anything_! Jesus Christ! Where did that come from? Oh god, I just said come, fuck my life, I have to go, I need to leave right now, oh my god I- fuck me. Fuuuuuck not what I meant. Fuck. I hate my life. Bye Donghae, I gotta go." 

Hyukjae stood up from his bed and walked towards the door to his room. He opened it and walked out. Donghae heard the front door open, and he quickly ran to Hyukjae's bedroom window to peek outside. He watched Hyukjae stroll right across the road and sit himself in front of the nice old lady's house then stare at nothing. Wow. Why did he even bring it up?

Donghae ran out to go join him. He sat in front of Hyukjae who looked traumatized. They had a miniature staring contest (Donghae won) and Hyukjae just continued to stare.

"Hey Hyuk, I'm sorry about that. It's just that I've been thinking about _it_ lately for god knows what reason, and when you started saying things I just got really nervous because I don't want my first time to have happened so quickly like, yeah, I definitely want it to be with you, but not right now like we're still only 15, 16 whatever I don't fucking remember and I just wanted it to be special like sorry if I hurt your feelings I really didn't mean to Hyuk. Are you okay? I don't think I am. Honestly I almost had a mental breakdown and everything was spinning and I'm probably really over-exaggerating but it didn't feel like it. I was really scared and please, please, please understand that. I love you _so_ much, Hyuk, and I would go to world's end to be with you. I-"

"Yo. You like rambling a lot don't you."

Donghae just pouted and stared at him sadly.

"Yah, you dumb fish, I love you too, okay? We'll be together forever disregarding how cheesy that sounds, and we'll do whatever we want whenever you feel comfortable, alright? Because I'm pretty sure I'm stickin' it in, yeah? Also, sorry, but no matter how much I love you, you're not putting _anything_ near there."

Donghae nodded in agreement.

See? This is why their relationship works. Mutual agreement on who is top.

"I love you, alright Hae?"

"I love you too Hyuk."


	14. Chapter 14

"Hyukjae! We need to talk..."

This couldn't be good.

Anything that starts with 'I need to talk to you' or some rendition of it is never good.

But hey, it's Donghae, so the blond immediately went over to see what was wrong. After all, with him, it couldn't be  _that_ bad, right?

Wrong.

"Donghae, what's wrong? Did something happen? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Donghae's bottom lip trembled as he balled his fists.

"D-do you have something you want to tell me?"

Hyukjae looked away and thought for a moment before he turned and looked back at the brunet. He shook his head, and the brunet's fists clenched tighter.

"A-are you s-sure?"

Hyukjae looked very concerned at this point, what with how badly Donghae was shaking.

"I don't have anything to tell you, Hae, are you sure you're alright though? You're shak-"

"No I'm not alright! You're cheating on me and you won't even admit it to my face! I've given you so many opportunities to tell me now, and you've avoided it over and over again! Just admit it! Admit it!"

"Lee Donghae! Where did you ever even get that idea? Why would I be cheating on you?"

Donghae looked into the blond's eyes with tears overflowing his own.

"Even now you won't admit it." Donghae lightly hit Hyukjae on the chest as he spoke, before his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground. Thankfully, the older had quick reaction time and grabbed Donghae before he fell all the way down and hurt himself.

"Donghae, tell me right now, who told you I was cheating on you? Because I swear, I'm not. I would never do that to you."

The brunet shook his head as he looked up at the elder.

"H-Heechul told me, and you seriously better not be lying to me. He said that you were ch-cheating on me with someone with a small stature- actually, no, not even! He said you were cheating on me with a white girl, _girl_ of all things! He said that you absolutely would not replace her for anything else in this world, and that you were even thinking about your future together! He saw you two in bed together! _We_ haven't even gotten there yet! You were also planning future vacations, wondering about how to take care of the kids- I actually still can't get over the fact that you went back to women. Besides the breasts and the vagina, what do they have that I don't? Why am I not good enough for you, Hyukkie? Why am I not good enough? I can go get surgery for you if you want me to, I really will! I l-love you s-so much Hyukkie, I d-don't know what I'd do i-if you left me... You just m-mean so much to me, and, and, I can't think of why this would happen..."

"Donghae, I know what Heechul's talking about, and I'm gonna kill that bastard."

"What?! So it's true?"

Donghae immediately burst into tears and Hyukjae's eyes widened more than they'd ever widened before and consoled the sobbing brunet.

"No no no, it's not true, no, Hae, please stop crying, oh my god, what do I do, oh my- fuck Heechul honestly... Hae? Hae sweetheart please stop crying. If you do, I'll explain everything to you, just calm down."

Donghae continued crying, but at a quiter volume.

"Listen, Hae, I love you so much, and you mean the world to me. If there's anyone I wouldn't trade, it'd be you. You don't have to go and get surgery or do anything to please me because I love you, and how many times do I have to tell you that so that you'll understand? Do you have that little faith in me?"

Donghae shook his head and calmed down enough to listen.

"Donghae, Heechul was being what we call a prick, and the 'woman' he was talking about was my pillow."

The crying immediately ceased.

"..."

"..."

"Your pillow?"

"... Yeah.'

"Okay umm, so about moving to Alaska, I think I'm gonna do that now. Gotta go bye!"

Donghae sprinted out of the room.

"..."

"Okay bye?"


	15. Chapter 15

Hyukjae laid on his couch, not really doing anything. He had a puzzle orb in his hands, and he wasn't altogether too sure what it was or why he even had it in the first place. The spherical object was very colourful, lots of differently coloured spaces and equally coloured balls that corresponded to their own space and the little balls in it seemed to be able to move.

Curious, he poked at one of them, and it slid right into the next empty space. He sat up on the couch, absolutely amazed at the spectacle that was happening in front of his very eyes.

"WHOA, HOW DOES THIS THING WORK?" 

He kept playing around with it, now determined to solve the thing. He was so enraptured by it, he didn't notice how long it had been. He and Donghae were supposed to meet in ten minutes to go see a movie that the younger wanted to watch, but here he was, barely dressed and playing with a ball.

It wasn't the first time this had happened either. Two weeks ago, Hyukjae had asked the small brunet out to lunch at some fancy restaurant that he had somehow acquired the money to pay for. Obviously excited for some high-class food, Donghae agreed and wouldn't stop talking about it. The next day, when they were supposed to meet up, Hyukjae was a no-show, instead lying asleep on the subway, going around the track again and again.

Donghae was only  _slightly_  peeved. 

The week after that, Donghae had asked Hyukjae to come watch one of his soccer games in downtown. Being the loving, caring boyfriend that he is, Hyukjae agreed, swearing that he would make it up for their last missed date.

The game was halfway over, and there was no bleach blond hair in sight.

Hyukjae was at home playing new ' _FIFA 16_ ' game that he had bought just yesterday.

Donghae got pissed off when he stormed into the older's house that same night, sweat dripping off of his forehead. He busted open the door to the blond's room, ready to punch him. Unfortunately, the boy was sound asleep, controller on his chest and TV prompting him to reconnect it.

Sighing, Donghae just grabbed some clothes from his boyfriend's closet and stole his shower, quickly rinsing himself off before he wrapped both of them in the blankets, turning in for the night.

So, as Donghae waited outside of the movie theater, now four minutes until their appointed meeting time, he shook his head, not knowing why he had expected any different. The brunet started walking towards Hyukjae's house yet again, glad that it was at least decent weather.

Trying the door once he reached the small home, he was pleasantly surprised to find it unlocked. Donghae swiftly walked in, throwing his coat down and taking off his shoes. There, he saw his idiot of a boyfriend messing around with some coloured contraption.

"Hyukjae, what the hell are you doing?"

The mentioned man jumped up, throwing the ball across the room from pure astonishment. Staring wide-eyed at Donghae, his eyes then shot to the clock and then back to his boyfriend now smirking in the doorway.

Hyukjae scrambled up, tripping over his feet and running to the base of the staircase.

"Shit. We should go. We should, umm, I need to get my coat and find some shoes and maybe grab my socks too and oh my god we're not too late right oh fuck where is my hat I need to cover up this mess goddamn-"

"Hyukjae? We can just not go see the movie, you know? Besides, with all that worrying, you're not wearing a shirt or proper pants, you do realize that, right?

Hyukjae looked down at his appearance and cursed again. Donghae was right. He always was. Instead of going and finding suitable clothes, the blond male just ran up to his boyfriend, dropping onto his knees while holding onto his hands like they were the only thing keeping him on this earth.

"Donghae, Donghae, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bail on you three times in a row, I swear! I've just been getting caught up with other things, you know? Like today, I had some _really, really_  important work to do and so I didn't realize how quickly time slipped by-"

Since both of his hands were occupied, Donghae took his foot and pretty much kicked Hyukjae in the mouth, shutting him up rather successfully.

" _Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_. Hyukjae, don't lie to me. I very clearly saw you playing with some ball contraption thing. What was that? I want to know now."

Donghae wrenched his hands out of the blond man's very loose grip. His one hand was covering his mouth, the other still raised in midair where he was previously holding the younger's hand.

"D-Donghae?"

The brunet was scouring the room to try to find the colourful little thing that Hyukjae had been playing with earlier. He checked on the sofa, under the table, on the table, in Hyukjae's ~~bloody~~  mouth, inside the lamp, on top of the fridge in the kitchen. Nothing. Puffing his cheeks out, Donghae walked back over to where Hyukjae was still cradling his hurt jaw, murmuring to himself.

"You'll be okay, Hyukjae... This is nothing... It doesn't hurt, not at all."

The brunet shook his head as he kept looking for the little sphere. Finally, he saw it sitting on the ground, tangled up in a sweater that the blond man had thrown there maybe a month ago. He picked it up, surprised at just how light it was.

"Hyukjae, is this that thing you were playing with? What is it?"

The man looked up, eyes wide and mouth slightly open from surprise. He hadn't expected Donghae to call for him, but his sight darted to the colourful thing in the younger's hands and he shrugged his shoulders.

"You know, I honestly just found that lying around. I don't really know what it is, or what the point of it is. It's just a colourful ball."

"I can see that."

"Well, what the hell do you want from me? I don't know what it is! You can move the little balls inside around, so maybe you have to solve it or something? I don't know! It just looked cool but I have no idea what to do with it."

Donghae pursed his lips and delicately moved one of the coloured orbs to the open space. It made a satisfying click, and the brunet took a seat on the couch as he quickly pushed a few more things, solving the puzzle orb almost immediately.

"Huh. That was really easy, Hyuk. What took you so long?"

The blond man's jaw dropped to the ground. Donghae threw the ball towards him after scrambling it back up and he caught it with one hand, looking at it in awe.

"How did you do that?"

He tried to solve it, but it had been over twenty minutes now and he was still nowhere close. Biting his bottom lip, Donghae just took it from him, aligning the colours together again and patted Hyukjae on the head.

"Okay, so, puzzles aren't really your thing, are they, Hyukjae? How about you just stick to academics and dancing, okay? You'd be much better at that-"

The door slammed open, a very blond and very drunk Heechul being carried in by an embarrassed and red-faced Hangeng.

"BONJOUR, MON CHÉRI! YOUR BELOVED HEECHUL HAS ARRIVED TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY, ISN'T THAT RIGHT, HANNIE?"

"Heechul, I really think that they were in the middle of something-"

"THAT'S RIGHT! LEE HYUKJAE, LEE DONGHAE, I AM HERE TO MAKE YOUR DAY EVEN BET-"

Donghae threw a pillow right into Heechul's face, making the drunk diva start tearing up.

"H-Hannie... He hit me! My little Hae hit me! It hurts, Hannie! It really hurts! Can you kiss it better?"

Immediately after, Heechul started pursing his lips in the ugliest manner possible, Hangeng reluctantly leaning in and pecking them. He smiled awkwardly at his drunk but now not-in-pain-anymore boyfriend and bowed his head in apology to the two still rather shocked by their sudden entry.

"Umm, so, Heechul kind of got drunk and then demanded that I bring him here, otherwise he would do some... _stuff_... that I really don't wish to elaborate more on."

Donghae and Hyukjae shook their hands rapidly, widening their eyes.

"No, no, it's quite alright. We don't need you to say anything. In fact, we'd really rather you not."

Hangeng nodded, and then the three sat in silence, not really sure what to say. Heechul had somehow, within those very few minutes, passed out and was snoring in the large Chinese man's arms.

Sungmin and Kyuhyun walked in through the still open (was it broken?) door, stepping over one of Heechul's lost high heels.

"Whoa, what happened here? Are you guys getting wasted without us? That's rude, you know! I came here to give Donghae some cupcakes and this is what I see? Ridiculous!"

The brunet tilted his head, looking at Sungmin who was shaking his head back and forth.

"Min, two things: one, how did you know I was here, and two, where the fuck are those cupcakes you were going to bring me? Because I sure as hell don't see them."

Kyuhyun hit his boyfriend's arm, clicking his tongue.

"See? I told you that wouldn't work. We should have just told them that we wanted to come get my puzzle orb back. We didn't have to make any excuses!"

Hyukjae and Donghae both looked down to the little ball that was in Donghae's hand. He lifted it up, making sure that everyone could see it.

"You mean this? Why is this is Hyukjae's house if it's yours, Kyu?"

No one said anything for a minute, but Kyuhyun started sweating bullets and swiped the little contraption from the brunet's hand.

"Okay, so maybe I came over once to do some stuff with Hyukjae, maybe I didn't. Doesn't really matter since Minnie and I will be leaving now. Okay, bye everyone-"

Hangeng grabbed onto the collars of both their shirts, pulling them back inside the now over-crowded house. 

"I'm not even going to ask why you were here. I'm just going to assume that my friends and my boyfriend are finally getting along and that you're not actually just coming up with a plan to murder me in my sleep and then run off to Canada to play Starcraft. I hope you guys have a wonderful day because I'm leaving now. This got really weird really quickly. Bye now."

As soon as Donghae took one step out the door, he slammed into a person and both of them fell to the floor.

"No! Ddangkoma! Breathe, Ddangkoma, breathe!"

The man was performing CPR on the small reptile, using two fingers a hand to push on the delicate underside of the turtle. Ryeowook sighed, frowning at Yesung.

"Oh my, Yeye, please, get up? I'm sure that Ddangkoma's fine, so can we go inside? The icing on the cupcakes is going to melt."

"Cupcakes?"

"Yes, cupcakes. I made cupcakes for everyone last night and I was going to call you all here, but it seems as though you're already all here anyway. That makes things much easier."

"Wait, since when did my house become the place for all of you guys to have parties-"

"Awesome! Wookie, your food is the best! Thank you for the cupcakes!"

"Guys, wait, no, please, I want my house back! Why are you all here ruining my life like this-"

"Hannie? What's happening?"

"Kyu, this is our chance! Grab a cupcake and let's go!"

"DDANGKOMA, YOU CAN MAKE IT!"

"No, please, wait a minute, I need to set the dish down before you can all have a cupcake- no- Sungmin- please- no- I- Kyuhyun why-"

Hyukjae stared at everyone in devastation, watching the third world war go down at the entryway to his house. He sighed, about to try and sympathize with Donghae when he saw the brunet, cupcake in mouth as he crawled out the door.

"What the hell..."


End file.
